Beneath That Strong Disguise
by DarkPurplestarGeek
Summary: Adrien Agreste was clearly tired of life. He was tired of having to manage his time between modelling, Chinese lessons, fencing, piano lessons, studying, and doing his very best to please his father. So what does he do when the last straw is pulled? An AU in which miraculouses don't exist but Marichat (and a bit of Ladrien) still happens.
1. Chapter One

**I did it, I actually published a Miraculous Ladybug fanfiction.**

 **WARNING: This is a complete AU.**

 **Also, I apologize for the grammar errors and not enough description.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MIRACULOUS LADYBUG OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS.**

* * *

Chapter One

* * *

Adrien Agreste was clearly tired of life. He was tired of having to manage his time between modelling, Chinese lessons, fencing, piano lessons, studying, and doing his very best to please his father.

Truth to be told, Adrien wanted to have a break, but he can't, because he doesn't want to displease his father. He sighed as he leaned and stared outside, gazing at the buildings and the people passing by.

"Adrien," Nathalie said. "Remember that this is one of your father's important events. He asked me to tell you to behave well."

Adrien nodded, not even bothering to look at Nathalie. He was used to his father not even bothering to tell him personally about this kind of stuff.

Adrien was with Nathalie and the Gorilla. They were heading to Le Grand Paris to attend a party held by his friend's father, André Bourgeois. The mayor had wanted to thank Paris' top fashion designers for designing the gowns his daughter wore for her birthday last week.

The car stopped in front of the hotel. His door stopped exactly right in front of the red carpet. He saw a lot of reporters, photographers, and a bunch of fans waiting outside.

The Gorilla got out of his seat and opened the door for him. Adrien wore his famous "model" smile and got out of the car, leaving Nathalie inside.

"OH MY GOSH IT'S ADRIEN!"

"MR. AGRESTE, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON bla bla bla..."

"MARRY ME!"

"OH MY GOSH HE IS SO HOT IN REAL LIFE."

"JuST A FRiEnD."

(Adrien wasn't sure if he heard that last one right.)

Anyway, lots of flashes filled his vision and lots of fangirl screams filled his ears as he waved at the huge crowd. He only gave his fans who were asking for autographs a smile and waved to the crowd.

Adrien entered the building and headed towards the function hall.

The room was filled with famous fashion designers all across Paris. Adrien knew most of them due to some of them either being his father's enemies or friends.

"ADRIKINS!"

Adrien braced himself as Chloe tackled him in a hug. "I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!"

Adrien took hold of Chloe's wrapped arms and removed them from him. "Uhh, hey Chlo." He managed to say. "I missed you too."

"Do you like my dress Adrikins? It matches me perfectly!" She pointed towards her attire, which was probably designed (again) by one of the people present in the party.

Before Adrien could answer, his father called him.

"I gotta go Chloe, see you later." He said as he left, leaving Chloe all by herself.

Adrien walked towards him and saw that he was with a man in his mid-thirties.

It was Mr. Pierre Blanc, one of his father's friends. Mr. Blanc was a very large man in Adrien's opinion. He reminded Adrien of Santa Claus, except without the beard. He only had this fancy mustache on his face. He was very friendly and at the same time, very professional when it came to the fashion industry.

"Adrien , Pierre and I would like to discuss something with you." his father said in his usual tone.

Adrien blinked. Judging from his Mr. Blanc's happy mood, it was probably good news.

Mr. Blanc approached him, giving Adrien a pat on the back. "Well Adrien, it seems that you have grown a lot since the last time I saw you." Pierre said, his smile not even wavering. "It's good to see you once again, my boy!"

Adrien nodded. "Likewise, sir."

"Adrien," his attention was back to his father. "Pierre has agreed that our companies can work together as one in the near future."

Adrien's eyes widened. Mr. Blanc's company was huge and was very well-known, if it combines with Gabriel Agreste's company then they would become the most powerful fashion business in all of Paris.

"Congratulations Father!"

Gabriel nodded. "But in order for that to happen, I want you to do something for me Adrien."

Adrien nodded, thinking that he would finally fulfill his father's wishes and make the man happy.

"Marry Pierre Blanc's daughter."

Adrien, as you can read, is shocked internally. He had watched too much anime to know where this was heading. "I'M GETTING ENGAGED?!"

"ADRIEN!" His father hissed. "I will not let you disrespect Mr. Blanc with your tone. Apologize."

"No Father!" He was aware of the looks from the others but he didn't care.

Adrien's father basically controlled his whole life. It was because of his father that he was home-schooled. It was also because of his father that he didn't have freedom and basically can't find other friends besides Chloe and _her_.

So right now, Adrien was rebelling because his father was now trying to control his heart, forcing him to marry a person that he didn't even know and didn't even love.

Being controlled by your father can be _exhausting._

"I'm okay with you doing choices for me about my career but I'm NEVER OKAY with you doing choices for me about my love life." He told him and practically ran out of the room, leaving the other guests shocked that Mr. Perfect Agreste can be a normal teenager and actually rebel against his dad.

He heard an "Adrikins wait!" And an "After him!" It was at that moment Adrien decided to run faster and hopefully find a place to hide.

He lost them at an empty corridor near the kitchens and headed inside a near "Staff Only" room.

'I gotta get out of here,' he thought. He checked the contents of the room and saw a black hoodie lying around.

'Hmm...' An idea popped inside his mind.

* * *

Adrien whistled nonchalantly as he walked out of the closet. He ruffled his hair, messing it up for good measure and pulled the hood over his head.

He noticed that the hoodie had cat ears...

What the actual what? Who would even buy hoodies like this?

'Welp,' Adrien thought. 'Look on the bright side Agreste, at least you get to make cat puns.'

Adrien headed towards the exit through the kitchen, because he kept looking back every five seconds, he accidentally bumped into someone.

"Oomph!"

They both landed on their butt. Adrien quickly stood up and helped the guy up.

"Sorry about that," he got a good look at the person, "Ma'am?"

"It's alright," the girl said as she stood up. "I should be the one saying sorry, I'm really clumsy."

"More like, 'clawmsy.'" He mumbled, but the girl heard her.

The girl blinked. She was about to say something when Adrien heard footsteps getting nearer and nearer.

"Well, I gotta go now Miss, see you later!"

He ran past the girl and hurried off to the outside world.

The girl looked back and murmured with a smile, "That pun was awful."

* * *

 **I can't escape this fandom.**

 **Anyways, please review and I hope you liked it!**


	2. Chapter Two

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MIRACULOUS LADYBUG OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS.**

* * *

 _He ran away as fast as he could. He wanted to be away from that place as soon as possible. He wanted to find her. He wanted to see her smile again. He wanted her to tell him that everything will be all right._

 _He ran, thinking of her. But he eventually got tired and fell on his knees, his heart filled with despair._

 _It was as if the sky was agreeing with him. The sky was dark, and eventually, the raindrops started falling._

 _He felt lost._

 _He felt his heart crushing._

 _He lost her, the person who complete's them was gone._

 _As he let himself cry in despair, he didn't notice a figure, coming towards him._

* * *

Chapter Two

* * *

If ever a person asks Marinette to describe herself in one word, she would tell them either she was "clumsy" or "shy."

Marinette sees herself as possibly the clumsiest person in the world. Others (Chloe) would often remind Marinette of how unlucky she was, tripping even on her own feet.

Despite all of these though, Marinette decided to stay as optimistic and happy as possible. She has good friends that would always stick by her side and her humble parents, who were very nice to her and loved her for who she is.

Today, her best friend Alya and her are in her room. They were exchanging stories of the most important events that happened to them yesterday and Alya decided to go first.

"And so, Nino decided to ask me out and I agreed to it and now bla bla bla..." Her friend, Alya chattered.

"Mhmm, go on." Marinette said as she continued knitting using her blue yarn.

As Alya continued to chat, Marinette's thoughts headed off to somewhere else.

Yesterday, Marinette decided to help Alya's mom to prepare the desserts for the party the Bourgeois threw. Marinette was very ecstatic of even seeing a glimpse of Paris' top fashion designers, especially the one and only Gabriel Agreste.

"So, Marinette,"

Marinette was snapped out of her thoughts. "Yeah?" She asked, looking at Alya.

"What happened yesterday?" Alya asked, her eyes showing her curiosity.

It was Alya's reporter/journalist instincts kicking in.

"Well, " Marinette began as she continued knitting. "I saw a lot of fashion designers and then met a boy-"

"A BOY?" Alya's eyes widened with excitement.

"It's more of that we bumped into each other. I think he trespassed since he was running fro-"

"BUMPED INTO EACH OTHER?"

Marinette couldn't handle Alya's outbursts anymore. "Yeah, umm, is there a problem Alya?"

Alya looked straight into Marinette's eyes, her eyes filled with happiness and excitement. "GIRL, you just bumped into a boy who you probably didn't get the name. DO. YOU. KNOW. WHAT. THIS. MEANS." She said as she shook Marinette's shoulders.

Marinette shook her head.

"It means you two are going to meet again."

Marinette really loves Alya, she really does, but this is just ridiculous.

"Alya, are you reading too much fan fiction again?"

"There are more than thousands of fan fictions out there Mari, it's my duty as a fangirl to read them. Anyway, this is basic Romance 101. You two are fated to meet again."

"Whatever you say Alya." Marinette said as she continued knitting using her blue yarn. "Whatever you say."

* * *

Alya's ridiculous prediction came true.

She did see the boy again.

He was still wearing the same outfit he wore yesterday. This time though, the hood was down, showing his messy hair.

And he was sleeping on the park bench.

 _Her favorite bench at the park._

Marinette sighed, she just wanted to find inspiration here. "Excuse me sir," she says as she taps the guy lightly.

The boy mumbled something about blue hair.

"Sir?"

Still no sign of waking up.

After a few taps and shakes, Marinette screamed at him.

He woke up in an instant.

"I'mawakeNathalie!" He said, then he saw her.

 _His eyes are so beautiful,_ she thought, looking straight back at him. Then she shook her head. _What am I even thinking?! Snap out of it Marinette!_

"Sorry to bother your beauty sleep," Marinette told him. "But this is my favorite spot. Could you move?"

"Oh, err, okay." He said, moving on the other side of the bench.

"Thanks." She said as she sat down,opened her sketchpad, and took out her pencil.

Marinette started drawing, she was very focused on her work.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the bench, the boy got curious of what the girl was doing and decided to take just a peek.

She was drawing a dress, and it was a beautiful design.

"Wow!" The boy exclaimed. "That looks amazing!" He moved next to her.

Marinette was surprised by his words that she almost dropped her sketchpad. Did the guy just complimented one of her works?

"Umm, uhh, thanks?"

"Can I see your other designs?"

Marinette nodded, still in shock as she handed her sketchpad to him.

The boy smiled and browsed it. "Wow, these are awesome designs." He complimented as he browsed further. "You might even become the best fashion designer in all of Paris someday!"

Marinette's face was turning red. Never had a boy her age complimented her designs. She felt very proud and very happy at the same time.

She felt like she was going to explode with happiness.

"These designs are as beautiful as you!"

The shade of red on her face disappeared.

"Did you just... flirt with me?" She asked with a tone of disbelief.

Marinette should've realized this guy was a flirt since day one.

"I was telling the truth though, these works are amazing."

"Uhuh." Marinette said skeptically.

"These works are..."

Marinette's eyes widened. "Oh no."

"...Pawsome."

Marinette groaned. She regretted forgetting that this guy made a pun yesterday.

"I mean, the way you designed them! They all look purrfect!"

Marinette rolled her eyes.

After a lot of puns and eye rolls, the boy decided to ask Marinette some stuff.

"So what's your name?" The boy asked.

"Ohh, umm, you first!" Marinette said quickly.

"My name's A- I mean, I asked you first so you have to go first." The boy defended.

Marinette refused to tell him her name.

After a few exchanges, the boy gave up. "FINE. I'm calling you Princess."

Marinette looked confused. "What? Why?"

"Because you look like a princess." The guy reasoned.

"Why not a queen then?"

The boy sighed dramatically."Tell me Princess, what does a princess have that a queen doesn't?"

"I don't know." Marinette said with full honesty. "A prince?"

"Nope! A knight that rescues her!" The boy said happily.

Marinette raised an eyebrow. "So your the knight?"

The boy nodded "I am your knight in shining armor." The boy said as he bowed. "I have said you from the dragon known as Loneliness."

"More like my knight in a black hoodie with cat ears." Marinette giggled.

The boy pouted, but said nothing. Marinette ignored how cute his face looked.

"So about my name..."

"I get to pick _your_ nickname!" Marinette told him. It was only fair after all.

The boy sighed. "Okay."

"Felix?"

"I refuse to be called, 'Felix'" The boy pouted.

Marinette huffed. "Okay, I'm calling you Chat Noir then." She said.

The boy's eyes widened. "What? Why?"

Marinette gave him a look that says, "Do I even have to explain?"

"Fine." Chat Noir groaned.

Marinette giggled. Then her face turned serious. "Anyway, why are you sleeping here?"

Chat Noir looked down. "I got lost..."

Marinette felt pity. "Don't worry, I'll help you find your parents."

The boy shook his head "You really don't have to-"

"Hey," Marinette said. "I want to help you. I mean, we're friends now right?"

"Yeah." The boy answered.

Marinette held his hand as he took him to her home.

* * *

 **Thanks to those who read and reviewed my story! You guys really motivated me to continue updating despite my busy schedule!**

 **Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and please review!**


	3. Chapter Three

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MIRACULOUS LADYBUG OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**

* * *

 _The boy continued to cry. He felt so lost. He felt so unhappy. He felt so... empty._

 _The boy didn't mind that his clothes were soaking wet, or how he was kneeling on the muddy ground. Nothing mattered to him anymore._

 _His mother, the person who loved him for who he was, who took care of him, and who comforted him whenever he felt lonely, was gone._

 _He let the tears fall into the ground like the raindrops that fell from the sky._

 _He failed to notice a figure approaching him, until he no longer felt the raindrops fall on his skin. He looked up, but due to his tears, his sight was blurry. It was a small figure that was holding an umbrella for him._

 _"Why are you out here alone in the rain?" The voice alone let the boy realize that it was a girl._

 _The boy lowered his head and furiously wiped his tears away. "Why do you care?" He angrily asked, still looking down. "Mind your own business."_

 _The girl huffed. "Well too bad for you, Sunshine Kid. I make it MY business to make people happy."_

 _The boy looked up, seeing the girl clearly for the first time. She was wearing what seemed like a red Chinese garment and black pants. Her blue- raven hair was tied up in pigtails. She had pretty bluebell eyes that were covered by a red polka-dotted mask._

 _"What in the world are you wearing?"_

 _"Clothes." The girl stated obviously._

 _The boy let out a dry laugh. "Very funny."_

 _The girl smiled. Her smile was similar to his mother's that the boy can't help but in return, give her a small smile back._

 _She held out her hand. "Trust me."_

 _He hesitated at first, but took it eventually. She suddenly started to run, dragging him along._

 _"Where... are you... taking... me?" He asked as he was pulled along._

 _The girl looked back as she ran, her beautiful smile not leaving her face. "I want to help you. We're friends now right? By the way, You can call me Ladybug."_

 _The boy looked surprised for a moment, then he smiled. "Okay, I trust you."_

 _They were both unaware of how the weather, during their exchange, had turned better._

* * *

Chapter Three

* * *

Adrien Agreste could say that having dinner with the Dupain-Chengs was fun.

While eating dinner, Tom asked him questions about him. The man asked him about his hobbies, favorites, and other stuff related to him. The man asked a bit questions like his personal address, his parents, and his current situation but Adrien was able to avoid them.

The man did not pressure him into answering them.

Adrien was thankful for that.

Meanwhile, Sabine asked him about how he met Marinette and stuff like that.

Okay, it might have been a bit awkward... but it was fun to see that beautiful shade of red on Marinette's face and the dessert was _soooooo_ good.

"Maman, Papa, where can Chat stay for the night?" Marinette asked after taking a bite from her cake slice.

"He can sleep in your room dear," Sabine answered. Then, she looked at both Adrien and Marinette seriously. "But no funny business, okay?"

Marinette's face got redder, if possible, as she nodded. Meanwhile, Adrien gave an uncomfortable nod. (Because Tom was giving him a 'Mess-with-my-daughter-and-you'll-regret-it' look)

Once dinner was over, Marinette practically pulled him up the stairs towards her room and basically slammed the door shut.

"You weren't supposed to find out my name." She grumbled, crossing her arms, as she sat on her chaise.

Yeah, he thought he wasn't supposed to find out either, but Tom and Sabine practically mentioned her name when they introduced themselves as her parents and told him to call them by their first names.

He beamed. "You know, you really have a pretty name, Princess."

Marinette grumbled further in reply.

She stood up and took some pillow and blankets. "Hmm... I wonder which space..." She thought out loud.

"I'll just sleep on the chaise."

"Are you sure? It's not the best place to-"

"Nah, I'm completely okay with it Princess." _Besides, I can't thank you enough for welcoming me._ He silently added.

Marinette smiled and fixed the chaise a bit, making it a bit comfortable. "Okay, well, I'm heading to bed. Good night, Chat."

"G'night Princess."

As she turned off the lights, Adrien reflected to what happened moments ago as he got comfortable.

Adrien barely remembered a family dinner like that. It had been years since he felt the warmth and comfort of a family.

Recalling dinner even further, Adrien wished that his family could be like that again.

* * *

"Are they asleep?"

"I think so."

"Oh Tom! I think he's perfect for our Marinette." Sabine exclaimed.

"I think so too." Tom admitted. "He is very polite, boys like that are rare to find these days."

"I wonder why he got lost though..." Sabine thought out loud.

"We'll help him come back to his family." Tom assured her.

"Yes we will." Sabine said in agreement.

* * *

Adrien woke up as the sun rose from Marinette's window. It was an early Monday morning, which meant that Marinette probably needed to go to school.

He checked her bed and lo and behold, Princess was still asleep.

"Marinette," he nudged her gently. "Marinette, Princess, wake up." He told her.

He repeated this a few times until he couldn't handle it anymore.

"All right, I guess we'll do this the old fairy tale-fashioned way, by kissing the beautiful Princess." He said, making sure that Marinette heard every word.

Her reply was a grumble. (She seems to do that a lot.)

He huffed. _Fine_ , he thought. So, he moved his body until he was sure that his face was practically an inch closer to hers. _This is your fault Princess_ , he thought as he leaned closer.

It was at that moment Marinette's eyes fluttered open. Her eyes widened in surprise and she screamed.

She also head-butted the poor Chat Noir.

"Me-OUCH!" Adrien said, rubbing his forehead, which hurts. A LOT.

Even in these kinds of situations, Adrien still manages to make puns. That has got to be an achievement.

"What were you doing?!" Marinette practically shouted at him as she sat up and started to examine Adrien's forehead.

"You won't wake up." Adrien said in reply, flinching as Marinette touched his forehead.

Marinette sighed. "Wait here, I'll go get some ice." She said and headed downstairs.

No way, was he admitting that he was trying to kiss her.

Marinette returned a few seconds later, carrying with her an icepack. She sat down on her bed and motioned for Adrien to sit beside her. She placed the cold ice pack on his forehead gently.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It was just an instinct of mine to do that."

"You do that to every person who tries to wake you up?"

"What? Pfft! No! I was just surprised by how close your face was, that's all."

"I'm sorry too, because of me you're late now."

"Nah, it's okay. I'm always late anyway."

* * *

"Bye Maman, Bye Papa, Bye Chat!" Marinette waved as she closed the door and headed to school.

Adrien finished his breakfast and helped in cleaning up the table. Every once in a while, he rubbed his forehead, reminding him of the events moments ago.

"Mrs. Dupain-Cheng! I'll help you with the dishes." Adrien said once he saw the kind woman washing the dishes.

"Thank you Adrien, Tom's managing the bakery right now and I needed to help him down there."

"No problem Madaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-Y-you know?" Adrien asked, eyes widened. His fear evident on his face.

Sabine gave him a wink. "My husband and I just figured it out moments ago, especially when the news decided to tell the public about the missing Adrien Agreste. Plus, you two look exactly alike, well, except for the hairstyle maybe and the way you present yourself." She said as she ruffled his hair.

"You're not... mad?"

Sabine's smile softened. "You can stay here for as long as you like Adrien, just make sure to return back to your father at some point. He looked distressed when I saw him on the news."

"Thank you Sabine." Adrien said and was surprised when the woman pulled him to a quick hug.

"Everyone needs it once in a while." She said.

* * *

 **Welp! I did my best for this chapter! Hopefully, the next chapters would be longer since I'm less busy now and all that stuff.**

 **Also, I hope you guys liked it and please review.**


	4. Chapter Four

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MIRACULOUS LADYBUG OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS.**

* * *

 _"We're here!" The pig-tailed girl announced joyfully as she stopped running, a panting boy beside her._

 _"What is this place anyway?" He asked as he tried to catch his breath, looking at her. But the girl, Ladybug, was distracted by the view before them._

 _Curious to find out why Ladybug was paying attention elsewhere rather than him, he followed her gaze and all he could manage to say was a "wow" to the view that greeted them._

 _"It's beautiful isn't it?" She asked him, still mesmerized by the view._

 _"Yeah."_

 _It was a wide field surrounded with trees. Flowers of different kinds and colors covered the land. The sky displayed the sun, showering its light over the field._

 _Ladybug started to walk forward, Sunshine Kid following him. She abruptly stopped on a small area that was only covered with grass rather than flowers and sat down. She motioned for the boy to sit beside her._

 _"So, what now?" The boy asked as he made himself comfortable. Ladybug picked a few flowers and told him to close his eyes which he followed. A few minutes later, he felt something placed on top of his head. "You can open your eyes now." She giggled._

 _His sight was greeted with a giggling Ladybug. "It looks good on you." She commented, preparing for his next move._

 _His hand felt something on top of his head and took the object to take a closer look._

 _It was a flower crown._

 _"Very funny." He muttered. He placed the crown back on top of his head and smirked. "Get ready because you're about to receive my flower power!" He exclaimed as he chased after her._

 _She laughed as she ran, trying to get away from him. But he was too fast and had managed to tackle her."It's time to end this, once and floral." He said, tickling her in the process._

 _When the sunset came, Ladybug decided that it was best for them to return back to her camp. She had brought enough supplies with her such as food, water, etc._

 _"You came here alone?" He asked her as they headed back to her camp. She shook her head. "No, not really. My master is somewhere nearby, but he is testing me right now to see if I can survive on my own."_

 _"So he's basically stalking you?"_

 _"Yep."_

 _When they reached the camp, Ladybug started to build a fire. Sunshine Kid got comfortable and ate the food that Ladybug had given him._

 _When he was finished, he caught Ladybug looking at him, failing to hide her laughter as she took a bite from her dinner._

 _"What?"_

 _She moved closer towards him and wiped a crumb off his face. "There. Much better." She said as she went back to her eating._

 _The boy felt his cheeks redden. Doesn't this usually happen in romantic movies?_

 _'Tamaki-senpai help me,' he thought. 'I'm too young for this.'_

 _"Sunshine Kid, did something happen to make you go here?" Ladybug suddenly asked after she finished her meal._

 _The boy sighed, his mood suddenly changing. "Someone important to me is... gone." He will not cry. "That person meant everything to me. Because of her disappearance, my father started acting colder and more different. She took care of me, loved me, and comforted me. I know it sounds weird but, I feel like it's my fault that this is happening to me... my bad luck."_

 _He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Never. It's not your fault. This person... she must've been very important to your father and with her gone, he's dealing with it on his own way. From the way you described her, I think she wouldn't want you to blame yourself and she loves you very, very much. But, if you really feel like you're a bad luck then-" she untied her bracelet from her wrist and gently took his own and tied the bracelet on it "-here. You need this more than I do."_

 _The boy observed the bracelet. It was made from a red string containing a light blue bead, a large pink bead, a small yellow bead, a small black bead, a square green bead with an engraved flower pattern, a sky blue bead, a tiny red bead, and a pink bead._

 _"What is this?" He asked._

 _The girl smiled. "It's a lucky charm. My mom told me it helps deal with bad luck."_

 _"I-I-I can't accept this." He said holding out his arm for her to remove the bracelet._

 _Ladybug shook her head. "Keep it."_

 _'I have to give her something too.' The boy thought. 'It would be unfair for me to not give her something.' He checked his pockets and his right hand felt a cold round object._

 _It was the silver ring his mother had given him before she disappeared. 'Give it to the person who would make you happy forever Adrien. Someone who would love you for who you are and would stay by your side until the end.'_

 _This was the girl his mom was referring to, right? His first friend._

 _"Here." He said as he handed the ring to her. "Keep it as a token of appreciation. Thank you, Ladybug, for making me smile again."_

 _ _She looked at him with a surprised look on her face. "N-No problem." She shyly said.__

* * *

Chapter Four

* * *

If you ever asked Marinette's classmates why they voted for her to become the president of the class, they would tell you either one or all of the following:

-Marinette's nice

-Marinette's helpful

-Marinette's generous

-Marinette's very supportive

-Marinette's creative

-Marinette's confident when she wants to be

-Marinette's optimistic

-Marinette's friendly

-Marinette's very considerate of others' ideas

And a bunch of other great traits about her. It was surprising, really, that this girl was so gifted and so talented. These are also the reasons why a lot of boys found her interesting and why the girls in her class admire her.

(Yes, even Chloe, but she would NOT admit that out loud.)

So yes, a lot of people believe in Marinette Dupain-Cheng, so why was it so hard to believe in herself when she says, "I don't like Chat. He's just a friend."

Marinette tried her best to pay attention to the lesson, but she was just so distracted because every second that cat's face would appear on her mind, and she would blush just thinking about how beautiful his eyes were and how he was so nice to her and her family.

You see, Chat Noir had been staying over at her house for three days now. The boy was very helpful in doing the chores, helping her with her homeworks, and even insisting that he should accompany her to school every morning and fetch her after school to ensure her safety.

The boy was being too nice.

"Earth to Marinette." Alya waved her hand in front of her best friend's face. The girl was snapped out of her daze, realizing that classes were finally over and it was time to go home. "W-What is it Alya?"

"Have you heard the news?"

Marinette shook her head. She doesn't really watch the news often because she was too busy finishing her designs and doing her tasks.

"They declared that Adrien is missing." Alya said, pointing at the article on her phone.

"Who's Adrien?" Marinette asked in confusion. The name was a bit familiar but she couldn't remember where she'd seen the kid.

Alya rolled her eyes. "Uh, the boy who's plastered all over your wall." She explained. "I thought you liked him girl?"

Ohh, so that's why it felt familiar. "Alya, you know I only have those because they're an Agreste brand right?"

Oh wait. Adrien. Agreste Brand. Adrien Agreste Brand. Adrien Agreste.

She began to panic and started rambling. "Oh my goodness Alya the son of Gabriel Agreste is missing. My idol's son is missing Alya. Oh my goodness Alya what if something happened to him Alya? Oh I hope he would be okay. Oh my goodness he was also at the party which meant that I must've seen him at some point Alya help I can't stop rambling Alya make me stop please make me-"

"Stop."

"Okay."

"Girl, you worry too much."

"I can't help it Alya, it's just that Mr. Agreste had been through a lot and now his son is missing too. No father should experience something like that."

As they talked, they headed outside, where Nino, Alya's boyfriend was waiting.

"Hey guys!" He called out. The two were snapped out of their conversation. He walked towards Marinette. "Hey Marinette, your friend's waiting for you outside." He told her.

"But I-""Hey Marinette!" She turned towards the door.

Chat was standing there wearing his usual black cat hoodie, pants, and shoes. His hair was as messy as usual. He was smiling at her, waving like the adorkable boy he was.

"Ch-Chat!" She stuttered as he walked closer to her, offering to carry her bag. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

Someone help her, Alya was giving her one of those looks that say, 'I know you like him now give me the details.'

"I finished early at the bakery. Your parents allowed me to fetch you today." He said, oblivious to her stuttering.

That was when Alya decided to join in the conversation. "So, Marinette, care to introduce your friend?" She asked her.

"This is Chat!" Marinette said. "Chat, this is Nino and Alya, my friends and classmates here." She said.

"Dude, that's an awesome hoodie!"

"Thanks!"

"So Chat, I've heard that you're staying at Marinette's?"

"Yeah, I help her parents do the tasks and stuff." Chat explained.

"That must be cool dude, you get to eat their food everyday." Nino added.

"What about your studies?"

Help, Alya's reporter instincts are kicking in.

"I'm home-schooled."

"Oh? And how long have you been staying over at Marinette's place?"

"Three days."

 _Help._

"Where do you sleep?"

 _Her._

"I sleep in Marinette's room." It was too late when Chat had realized the effect of his answer.

"OHMY-"

"Ohhh~" Alya was giving Marinette that look again.

Marinette's cheeks reddened. "I-IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!"

This was so embarrassing.

"CHAT AND I ARE JUST FRIENDS OKAY? WE DON'T EVEN SLEEP ON THE SAME BED."

"Yeah, besides Mari's dad is going to murder me if something weird happens." Chat added.

"Relax Marinette, we were just teasing." Alya said as Nino's shock was finally gone.

"Yeah, yeah I forgive you." Marinette rolled her eyes.

* * *

Marinette fiddled with her ring as she stared at the dark ceiling of her bedroom. The ring was placed on a chain around her neck. Not many people, even Alya, knew about her necklace since she usually hides it under her shirt.

Marinette smiled as she recalled what happened years ago. She had met a boy on the forest during one of her training sessions with her master. The boy thanked Marinette for helping him, giving her a ring that night. The next day, she heard people calling for a boy (she regretted forgetting what they called him) and quickly hid behind the bushes, planning to attack if ever they only meant harm towards her Sunshine Kid. Thankfully, they knew him, and took him with them, leaving Marinette alone with her Master still hiding somewhere.

She recalled how she tried to see if the ring would fit any of her fingers, but sadly her fingers were too thin. So, after her training was finally over, she went home and decided to just put it on a chain.

She wondered, since she was a teenager now would it fit on her ring finger? But she was too scared of losing a precious gift from a friend.

Fiddling with her ring helped her think properly and clearer. Does she really like Chat or was it just infatuation? Were the feelings even real or was it just a product of her mind?

 _'Maybe I should wait before I confirm that I really do like him.'_ She thought. _'After all, it's only been three days.'_

She yelped when her phone rang, indicating that it was time to tell Alya the details.

* * *

It was Thursday, and Marinette was going to miss her kitty.

"I found my father." He told her. "He needs me."

 _I need you too._

"Don't worry Princess, I'll visit you often if you like." He said.

"Be careful on your way home Chat," Her mother told him and handed him a bag filled with some pastries. "You need to eat more." She said with a warm smile.

"Thanks Sabine, Tom, for welcoming me." He said after taking the pastries.

"You're the one we have to thank my boy, you helped us a lot." Her father said.

Chat smiled.

"Chat," Marinette started as the boy opened the door. "Stay safe okay?"

 _Please don't go._

Chat gave her a salute. "I will, Princess! And don't worry, a knight always finds a way back to his princess right?"

Marinette smiled. _Yeah, we'll see each other again._

* * *

 **(Softly hums Please Don't Go song XD)**

 **The Miraculous Ladybug wiki really helped me describe Marinette's bracelet.**

 **So I wanted to thank ya'll for reviewing and for liking my story. You guys really motivated me to continue updating (as quick as I can). And since you guys supported me a lot, I'll give you a glimpse of some lines from the next chapter ;)**

"I'm glad to know that you have returned safely Adrien."

"Adrikins!"

"I miss him..."

"Chat!"

"Camembert, kid. Give me camembert."

 **So yeah, that's it.**

 **I hope that you liked this chapter and please review!**


	5. Chapter Five

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MIRACULOUS LADYBUG OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS.**

* * *

Chapter Five

* * *

Adrien Agreste was really, really excited to go back to the life that he tried to escape from.

He was excited to go back to that mansion and see his strict father, who would probably watch him like a hawk from now on (not like he wasn't doing that already) and would probably scold him for causing trouble with the paparazzi.

He was excited to go back to modelling and would once again wear a fake smile on his face and listen to the photographer's never-ending complain about spaghetti.

He was really, really excited to be alone again.

Really.

Adrien knew that his father really cared deep down. Ladybug had reminded him that years ago. But he was just really tired of doing his best to make his father happy. He was tired of doing things for his father and following his father's wishes every single time.

Adrien understands that Gabriel didn't want to lose him, but his father has to accept that at some point of his teenage life, Adrien has to learn how to be independent.

He sighed as he waited outside the Dupain-Chengs' bakery for the Gorilla, glancing back at said store for (probably) the last time. The door was slightly open, revealing the faces of Tom and Sabine, both giving him an encouraging smile. Marinette was probably inside.

 _Marinette._ Adrien couldn't thank that girl enough for everything she's done for him. He remembered how sad she looked when he told them he was leaving. He didn't like making His Princess feel that way. After all, what kind of knight would make his princess cry?

 _Apparently my kind._ Adrien thought as he started tapping his foot out of impatience and crossing his arms. _Where was the Gorilla anyway?_

At that exact moment, the car came.

* * *

 _You can do this Adrien,_ he thought as he nervously glanced at the car window. The mansion's gates never looked that huge and intimidating before.

Adrien felt his pocket for reassurance. He sighed in relief as he felt his Lucky Charm.

The Lucky Charm was given to him by Ladybug herself. He used to wear it all the time, but as he grew older, it can barely hold on to his wrist anymore. The Lucky Charm was basically with him at all times, hidden in his pocket.

And then there's the umbrella.

 _The_ umbrella. That one object that led him to trusting His Lady. That was the only thing besides the Lucky Charm that proved that Ladybug actually existed and proved Nathalie wrong that he was hallucinating out of hunger in the forest.

 _How could he have been so stupid to run away without it?_

Anyway, as he was distracted by these thoughts, he was completely unaware of how he entered the mansion and was snapped out of his thoughts when he saw his father.

Gabriel Agreste looked nothing like he looked like the last time Adrien saw him at the party. His clothes were a bit wrinkled, under his eyes were eye bags, and his body screamed the need to sleep.

Sabine was right. His father was distressed.

"Adrien," his father started as he walked towards him. Adrien prepared himself for his next words which would probably be about the consequences and about him being a disappointment. It never came.

Instead, Gabriel hugged him.

Yep, hugged him.

Adrien's eyes widened at his father's actions, but slowly, he hugged back.

"I...I'm sorry Father," Adrien said. "I-"

"Adrien, I am the one that has to apologize." Gabriel said, reluctantly letting his son go. "I should have not forced you into something such as an engagement."

"I'm glad to know that you have returned safely Adrien."

* * *

Two days. Gabriel had given him two days to rest before going back to modelling for the company.

The man was trying to be a better father, Adrien could see that, but Gabriel still insisted in getting to know Pierre's daughter because he thought Adrien might change his mind.

As for the "going outside" thing, Adrien had manage to convince his father to let him go to school. Unfortunately, his father agreed, but it turned out that the school Adrien was going to in two weeks was the same school Chloe was going to.

Today, Adrien was bored. His father manage to explain to him why he couldn't get out of the house was because of the reporters and fans, who were probably waiting for a juicy story/gossip regarding the son of Gabriel Agreste's reasons for running away.

Gabriel didn't ask Adrien about what had happened during those days he went missing. It made Adrien happy that his father wasn't being nosy about it. He wanted his little adventure to be a secret.

So, right now, Adrien was inside his huge room. Alone. Again. He hadn't seen Nathalie since the day of his return, and it made him feel lonelier now that he thought about it.

Adrien sat on his couch and switched on his television with his remote, lazily changing the channel every five seconds.

Suddenly, he heard his door open and an, "Adrikins!" After that.

 _Oh no._ He managed to think before a heavy weight was suddenly placed on his body. "Omph! C-C-Chloe," Adrien managed to say between breaths, because though she might not look like it, Chloe was so freaking heavy. "Get... off."

The weight on his lap suddenly disappeared, but the pain didn't.

The next thing he knew, his female friend was sitting next to him on the couch. "Adrikins! I missed you! I was so worried you know? My guy best friend suddenly runs away from _my_ party and the next thing I knew, his face is all over the news like a 'wanted' criminal!" The girl told him. "I had to call Daddy to make sure what I was seeing was true and I started panicking because my poor Adrikins is walking alone in the dangerous streets of Paris!" She even placed her hand over her heart.

Chloe can be such a drama queen. Adrien rolled his eyes.

"So, what happened?" She asked as she took out an expensive looking chocolate bar from her pocket, knowing that Adrien would most likely want one, she took out another and gave it to him. Adrien gladly accepted the treat.

"Well, I ended up sleeping at the park." Adrien said as he opened the bar and munched on it happily, Chloe doing the same.

"How awful."

He wondered if he should tell Chloe about his adventure. After all, Chloe had been his childhood friend and kept his secrets since day one. Although the girl may look like an open book and may even look like the first person to start a gossip, Chloe was very good at keeping secrets.

"Then I met this pretty girl with raven-blue hair and bluebell eyes." He continued, smiling at the memory of how Marinette nicknamed him, "Chat Noir."

"Ladybug?"

Adrien was snapped out of his memory."What? No!"

Chloe swallowed her chocolate. "You know, that girl you've been crushing on since the day I met you? You described her like that." She explained.

Adrien chuckled. He remembered how Chloe suggesting that day that they should get married and how he declined her politely, saying that he already likes someone else.

It took forever to convince Chloe about that fact.

"I just met her."

Chloe looked unconvinced. "You said the same thing about that Ladybug girl the first few weeks you told me about her. Then, one day, you couldn't stop babbling about how beautiful she is and how brave she is."

Adrien shook his head. "But this time, it's different. The girl that I met is just a friend."

"Uhuh." Chloe said dully. "I'm leaving." She said as she stood up.

"What? Why?"

"Because you're too oblivious." She snickered.

"What?"

"I have to go shopping."

"Oh."

* * *

"ARRRGGHHHH! I WANT TO DO SOMETHING!" Adrien complained out loud. (Not like anyone could hear him anyway, except for the Gorilla, who was stationed to guard outside his door)

It was the day before he went back to modelling, and he was in his room again. Alone.

Adrien did everything he can do in his room. He tried to enjoy every feature his room has but it was still not enough. _WHAT TO DOOOOOOOOOOOO? DID I MISS SOMETHING? WHAT?_

By this point, Adrien was starting to think he was losing his sanity.

He roamed around the room. He was trying to figure out what he had missed.

That was when he saw his hoodie. The black one with the cat ears.

(It's not his anyway since he stole it but whatever. No one was using it when he found it anyway.)

 _"Chat, stay safe okay."_

 _"I will, Princess! And don't worry, a knight always finds a way back to his princess right?"_

 _"A knight always finds a way back to his princess right?"_

 _"Finds a way back to his princess right?"_

 _"A way back to his princess right?"_

 ** _"BaCK to His PRIncESS"_**

Adrien felt horrible. His Princess was probably waiting for him.

He had to get out of here. He had to tell Marinette that he was okay.

But how? He didn't have her phone number? He only knew where she lived and where she studies.

The most logical solution in Adrien's opinion: Sneak out.

But how in the world was he supposed to sneak out when the Gorilla is just outside his room.

He wore the hoodie and messed his hair like the first time.

He needed to look at the bright side of things. His eyes reached his room's huge windows.

As a matter of fact...

 _This was a horrible idea._ Adrien thought as his almost slipped. His foot was almost touching the ground. He took that as a sign of letting go of his hold from the solid material.

 _Yes!_ He thought. This was a not so much horrible idea after all.

As he headed to the direction of Marinette's home, he bumped into a person, again.

"S-sorry!" He said.

Luckily, the stranger was stronger than him, so he didn't land on his butt like Marinette did. However, the man smelled weird to Adrien. He smelled... weird for some reason. Adrien didn't know why.

The man was taller than Adrien and looked like he was in his twenties. He had moppy black hair the same shade as Adrien's hoodie. He had cat-like green eyes. The man was wearing a neon green shirt underneath a black jacket. He was wearing black pants and regular black rubber shoes.

"Watch where you're going, kid." The man said before walking away, as if nothing had happened.

Adrien stared for a few moments, eventually shaking his head, he headed towards the bakery.

* * *

"Chat!" Marinette greeted as she jumped over the counter and gave Adrien a bone-crushing hug.

"Hey Princess! Told you I'd be back." The boy managed to say.

Marinette let go and gave him a look. "You made me worry for two days because you didn't bother to call me or even text me." She said, looking annoyed.

"You didn't even give me your number."

Marinette's cheeks reddened. "Okay so it may be my fault too."

Adrien looked around. The bakery was okay as usual. "Where's Tom and Sabine?"

Marinette headed back behind the counter. "Oh, Papa and Maman are on a trip. They'll be back on Monday."

"Ohhh."

"If you want, you can help me manage the bakery?" His Princess suggested, sounding unsure.

Adrien laughed and started to walk behind the counter, ruffling Marinette's hair. "Sure, anything for my cute Princess."

He was unaware of the blush that Marinette's face held at those words.

* * *

It was nighttime. Adrien had managed to return from his adventure safely and secretly.

When dinner came, his father ate with him. It was a rare moment that Adrien secretly treasured. However...

"Adrien, you may have noticed that Nathalie is not with us since you returned." His father said.

Adrien started to worry. Did his father fire Nathalie? Did she retire? Was she kidnapped?

"I can assure you Adrien, that I didn't fire Nathalie. She took a leave of absence due to family matters." His father stated, somehow managing to read Adrien's mind.

Oh.

"However, someone must be here to manage your schedule while Nathalie is away. I have managed to hire a substitute for the meantime."

Now Adrien was curious. "Substitute?"

"Yes. He is here now. Mr."-Adrien's father said the guy's name that Adrien's brain can't seem to comprehend-"You can come in now."

Adrien's jaw dropped as his new assistant came in.

It was the guy he bumped into earlier.

"I will leave you two as I still have matters to attend to."

"Sure thing boss." Gabriel frowned at this, but didn't say anything, and left them in Adrien's room.

Adrien gulped. What now? The guy probably knows his little secret. No matter, he still has to be polite no matter what. "Umm... hi Mr..."

Oh man, he didn't know how his father managed to pronounce it!

"Look kid, just call me Plagg."

Plagg? "Um, okay Plagg." Adrien answered.

"I assume you're nervous about what happened a while ago?" Plagg said as he sat on Adrien's couch.

"...Yeah..."

"Look kid, I won't tell Mr. Agreste about your little secret. Unless..."

Adrien did not like where this was going. "Unless what?"

"i'll make a deal with you kid, I'll keep your little secret, but you have to give me something in return, got it?"

What could this guy possibly want? A car? Money? Gold? A date with a hot girl?

Adrien was scared. He barely knew this guy. But then, he remembered his new friends. His Princess. And courage took over the fear he once had. "What do you want?" Adrien finally asked.

Plagg looked at him seriously. "Camembert, kid. Give me camembert."

Adrien stared.

And stared.

And stared.

What?

* * *

 **FINALLY. I managed to finish this chapter. FINALLY.**

 **Anyway, I'm just happy I brought Plagg to the story already. (His introduction has been on my mind since the very beginning)**

 **I FINALLY want to thank you all for supporting/following/adding this story to your favorites/reviewing this story!**

 **I hope you guys liked the chapter (Sorry for the lack of Marichat moments) and please review!**


	6. Chapter Six

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MIRACULOUS LADYBUG OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS.**

* * *

Chapter Six

* * *

 _"I don't want to lie to you, you've became more than just a partner to me... you've became a friend."_

 _"Why are you talking about lying?"_

 _"There's a boy..."_

 _"Boy? Who is he?"_

 _"He's...I'm sorry, but our identities must remain as a secret at all ti-"_

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! WHY DON'T YOU JUST TELL HIM WHO THE GUY _REALLY_ IS HUH? CAN'T YOU SEE THAT MY POOR BOY IS HURTING? CAN'T YOU SEE THAT THE GUY THAT YOU LIKE IS WITH YOU RIGHT NOW AND YOU'RE HURTING MY PRECIOUS BOY?"

 _"I understand. You're friendship means a lot to me too-"_

"Umm, Alya?"

"What is it Marinette?"

"Calm do-"

"OMG SHE'S BLUSHING MY SHIP MY BEAUTIFUL SHIP IS HAPPENING AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Alya!" Marinette hissed, trying to cover her ears from the loud noises her best friend was making.

"SHE FREAKING BLUSHED I'M SO HAPPY BUT THEN I'M ALSO SAD THAT HE GOT FRIEND-ZONED BUT I'M ALSO HAPPY THAT THIS EPISODE IS TOO BEAUTIFUL BUT IT'S ALSO SAD BECAUSE THEY BOTH GOT SAD AT THAT PART BUT THOSE MOMENTS THOUGH ARE BEAUTIFUL." Alya rambled as she proceeded to squeal more on the poor pillow she had been hugging moments ago.

"Shh! Alya! The citizens of Paris can hear you right now because you fangirl too loud!" Marinette warned the girl.

Marinette would also like to admit that she likes the episode very much as well but is able to control herself, unlike Alya, her best friend, who has written more than ten fan fictions of the same show and is practically stalking the creator's accounts.

They were doing the typical girl stuff this evening. Sleepovers. They wanted to watch the new episode together and had been planning said sleepover for weeks.

Marinette laid a mat on the floor and had turned on the television for them to watch the new episode. Alya had helped by providing the treats that they had eaten.

"There, there Alya." She said as she patted the girl's back. "I'm sure someday they'll figure it out."

Alya proceeded to torture the poor pillow even further. A few seconds later, her whole demeanor changed. "I finally have an idea for another fan fiction! Thanks Marinette!"

"Uhh... you're welcome?"

Alya nodded to herself, feeling satisfied. She then got serious and turned to Marinette. "Now since the show's over, let's proceed to the essential part of our sleepover..." she trailed off.

"The pillow fight?" Marinette suggested. She thought the essential part was basically watching the show.

Apparently not.

She had an idea where this is going, but sadly, she did not want the topic to head there.

"What do you think about Chat?" Alya asked with full curiosity. "I saw the way you looked at him that day by the way. It's the same look that I had given Nino everyday. Admiration."

Marinette let out a dry laugh. "Oh you know, he's really helpful, kind, funny, and he's a dork." She trailed off.

"...And?"

Marinette sighed in defeat. "He's pretty cute."

Alya shed a fake tear. "My little girl finally likes someone, and this time, it's not Adrien Agreste."

"Alya I never even liked Adrien Agreste to begin with."

"His face is all over your wall." Alya pointed out.

"I told you it's just for the brand!" Marinette said, feeling defensive. It was really just for the brand after all.

Alya chuckled. "Okay, okay, calm down girl."

Marinette huffed as she took a cookie and ate it.

* * *

It was a typical Monday morning in Marinette's opinion.

Last night, she set her alarm to wake her up early in the morning. She wanted to be able to spend time in school with Nino and Alya before classes start.

Oh, her alarm _did_ work, all right, but she was not awakened.

This was why Marinette needed an actual living person to wake her. Alarms are just... not enough.

 _Nope,_ the girl thought as she rushed to school. _Don't think about that time when that stupid cat tried to wake you._

She proceeded to enter her school and practically ran towards the classroom. She was glad that she had fifteen minutes to spare before classes start.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Marinette Dupain-Cheng." Chloe Bourgeois greeted from her seat as the clumsy girl entered the room, nearly tripping in the process.

"Hey Chloe." Marinette said, not even bothered by the girl's presence as she headed towards her seat. Wait, where were Alya and Nino?

"Chloe, have seen Nino and Alya?" She asked the girl.

"Probably somewhere being all lovey-dovey." Chloe replied as she went back to using her phone. Sabrina, Chloe's assistant, was sitting beside the girl, although her mind seemed somewhere else.

To others, it may seem weird that Chloe Bourgeois, daughter of the mayor and practically everyone's tormentor, was actually having a nice conversation with Marinette Dupain-Cheng, her former rival. You see, ever since recent events such as during their teacher's birthday, Chloe had started to change for the better. While others were a little skeptical over Chloe's change of heart, Marinette, who saw a bit of goodness in her, decided to give her a chance.

So, Marinette and Alya (who was practically forced by Marinette) decided to support Chloe.

"Oh" was the only thing Marinette can give as a response to that. She took out her sketchpad and decided to continue working on a sketch she had started ever since last night.

It was a sketch of her kitty. It was the very first drawing in Marinette's sketchbook that did not have anything to do with clothes or any other designs.

She smiled as she continued to draw his hoodie, cat ears and all. She captured the mischievous smile on his face, and his gorgeous eyes. She proceeded to adding details to his soft hair, which, at one point, he had let her ruffle.

Marinette let out a dreamy sigh as she finished the sketch, and proceeded to add hearts on the drawing.

She admits that she does like Chat Noir.

 _"Marinette!"_

Marinette was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard her teacher shout her name.

"P-PRESENT!" She shouted, standing up.

the rest of her classmates laughed and Ms. Bustier shook her head with a smile. "I was asking if you would like to give our new student a tour of the school next week." She explained. "It's one of your duties as the class president."

Marinette nodded. "Sure thing!"

Beside her, Alya, who came in with Nino moments ago, was giving her friend a proud smile.

* * *

Lunch breaks were supposed to be fun and happy in Marinette's opinion.

Not lonely and gloomy.

Alya and Nino invited Marinette to join them but, Marinette just doesn't want to be the third wheel. Again.

Her parents would be home later that evening, so Marinette had to prepare her lunch all by herself.

She headed to the park, where she can sit on her her favorite bench and eat her lunch there. It might be a struggle, but it was all right in Marinette's point of view. It was better than being home alone and being a third wheel.

She continued to eat her lunch in silence, watching the children get chased by their babysitters.

A shadow loomed over her, and a voice belonging to a guy asked her, "Excuse me, may I sit with you?"

The way the guy's voice sounded screamed "Politeness!"

Marinette glanced at the figure, and almost dropped her lunch.

A boy with brushed-back blond hair and light green eyes stood before her. He was wearing a white buttoned-down shirt. Underneath it was a black shirt with horizontal stripes.

It was the boy who's face was plastered all over her wall.

It was... it was...

"Kid!" A voice called out. "Where do you think you're going?" That must be his assistant.

Adrien sat beside her. "I just wanted to eat lunch." He simply explained, gesturing to the bag he was carrying.

"Fine but make sure to come back after thirty minutes. I can't deal with that spaghetti guy alone."

"Okay."

His attention was brought back to her. "Hi, I'm Adrien." He said as he held out his hand.

Marinette stared at the hand for what seemed like a few minutes and finally shook it. "I'm Marinette."

The boy smiled. "So why are you out here eating alone?" He asked as he opened his bag.

She ignored his question, which was rude, but she just didn't want to tell a complete stranger about her reasons. Famous or not. "Is that salad?" Marinette wondered out loud, looking at the model's food.

Adrien glared at his food, Marinette realized that Adrien probably ate it all the time. "Stupid diet." he mumbled.

Marinette took out her salmon and spinach pie which she was planning to eat after and offered to the model. "Here." She said. "You can have it."

Adrien looked at the food in awe. "Are you sure?" He asked her, looking at her with his green eyes.

Marinette nodded. "I have more at home."

Adrien grinned as he took the pie from Marinette's hands and proceeded to eat it like there was no tomorrow.

Marinette continued to stare at him. He reminded her of someone... but who?

* * *

 **I know, the events in this chapter surprised me too.**

 **Once again, thank you so much for supporting this fic, it motivates me to continue thinking for the next future chapters!**

 **I hope you liked this chapter and please review!**


	7. Chapter Seven

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MIRACULOUS LADYBUG OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS.**

* * *

Chapter Seven

* * *

When Adrien saw Marinette eating on the bench alone, he couldn't just stand there and do nothing about it. He didn't want to see Marinette, his friend since Ladybug and Chloe, being lonely.

After all, what kind of friend was he if that happened?

So, he did what he had to do. (Except for the part of telling Princess that he was actually her Chat Noir)

Adrien had thought about that, and he realized that Marinette might treat him differently if she ever knew that he was actually _THE_ Adrien Agreste whose face was all over Marinette's wall.

They talked for a while. It hurt Adrien that Marinette didn't trust him as much as she trusted Chat Noir, but it was probably because he was just a stranger to her. Marinette even offered him pie, which he had gladly accepted.

As they talked, Adrien had noticed that he was slowly getting to know a different side of Marinette. One that was completely different from her sassy and confident self that he was used to as Chat Noir.

His Princess was stuttering and mumbling to herself everytime she thought she had asked a ridiculous question to him. Chat Noir wasn't used to this side of Marinette, but as Adrien, maybe he can get to know this side of Marinette better.

* * *

"Kid, where do you think you're going?" Plagg had asked when he saw Adrien trying to sneak out.

The photo shoot was finally over. Adrien was antsy to sneak out and see Marinette again, this time as Chat Noir. After lunch that day, he had to tell Marinette that he had to leave since Plagg was practically forcing him to come back and help him deal with the photographer.

Adrien didn't even bother to face the man. "I'm going to see Marinette." He answered as he tried to climb the window. Adrien was already wearing his hoodie, and had done his "Chat Noir" look to complete the transformation.

Plagg rolled his eyes. 'Teenage boys. Going to such extremes to see their girlfriends.' "Come on kid, I'll let you out but you can never tell my boss, all right?"

Adrien's face turned all sunshine and rainbows as he practically gave up on trying to get out through the window. Plagg's the best!

"Don't forget the camembert, kid."

Plagg's not so much the best!

It was nighttime when he had reached the boulangerie. Adrien figured that they were already closed since the lights at the bakery were off. He headed towards the other entrance, to which he knocked, and was answered by Sabine herself.

"Oh hello Adrien!" She said softly as she opened the door for him. "Come in."

Adrien greeted her as he came in, he greeted Tom as he passed by him. He was about to speak up when Tom cut him off. "Marinette's upstairs in her room."

Sabine nodded. "Go on, see her." She encouraged.

"Umm, thank you, Tom and Sabine." He said, unsure of whether to feel bad for his rude actions or whether to feel happy for their encouraging words.

"Do you think we need to give him spare keys Tom?" Sabine asked as the child headed upstairs. She had a feeling the boy would be coming a lot more to their home.

"Mhmm."

Adrien practically ran towards Marinette's room and didn't even bother knocking, which, he admits, is quite rude even for him.

"Princess!" He practically bounced towards the girl, who by the looks of it, was working on a blue piece of clothing on her desk.

Marinette squeaked as Adrien hugged her from behind. She dropped whatever she was working on and almost fell off her seat.

"Chat, what are you doing here?" Marinette asked, surprised that the cat was here in the middle of the night.

"I kind of missed you." Chat shyly admitted, not aware of the blush that was forming on Marinette's face. "What are you working on?" He asked, changing the topic as he sat down on a spare chair.

"Oh! This is for a dear friend of mine." His Princess answered, caressing the object. "I... haven't seen him in a long time and thought that I can give this to him someday."

'That must be some friend." Adrien thought. "So umm, anything interesting happenings today?"

"Not much really." The girl answered as she went back to her work.

Adrien pouted, he hardly believed "not much" happened to her today.

"I did meet Adrien Agreste though." Marinette added, unaware of Chat's lightened mood.

"What was he like?" Chat asked, nearly bouncing on his seat. _Was his first impression as Adrien good?_

Marinette stopped and thought for a moment. "He was okay, to be honest."

 _Just 'okay?'_

"But... he didn't seem to like what he was doing though," The pig-tailed girl added, staring at one of his posters. "It seemed like he was tired of modelling."

Adrien couldn't breath. How in the world can Marinette see through him?

The boy gulped. "H-how did you know that?"

Marinette pursed her lips and smiled softly. "The way he looked at his food. I also heard him say that he hated his diet."

"You're very observant." Adrien said, then, he smirked. "You _like_ him don't you, Purrincess?" He teased.

Marinette gave him an "Are-you-serious?" look.

"I mean, you have posters of him and have all magazines with him on the cover page."

"How do you even know about those magazines?"

"I'm a curious kitty."

"More like a dead kitty when I get hold of you."

Chat Noir gulped.

* * *

For the first time in years, Adrien was going to school.

He was super-duper excited and yet terrified at the same time.

He even made a list to why he felt that way:

 **O** He didn't even know which school he was going to attend, except that it was Chloe's school.

 **O** As much as he really loves Chloe as a friend, the girl was just too clingy sometimes. He can only hope that she doesn't make him her personal jungle gym when he gets there.

 **O** People will probably ask him for autographs (He _hated_ signing autographs)

 **O** He hopes no one teases him for his anime obsession (if they ever find out).

 **O** People might make friends with him ONLY because he's a model and his father is rich.

 **O** He's awkward. He doesn't know how to start a conversation.

Adrien checked the time. _O-kay, it's only 4 in the morning,_ he thought. _I have to get dressed for school or else I'll be late._

As soon as he tried to get up, the softness of his bed pulled him down and the next thing he knew, he was sleeping again.

Apparently, Chloe's school, was also Marinette's school.

Also, WHAT THE WHAT?

The moment the car turned to a familiar corner, Adrien's mind barely heard Plagg's demand for his payment since he owed the assistant twelve wheels of camembert since last week.

The Gorilla stopped the car.

NANI?

"KID! ADRIEN! ADRIEN!"

"What, Plagg?" He asked out of annoyance.

"Get out of here and remember what your father told you, kid."

Right, maintain the highest grades and manage all his activities at the same time.

"Yes Plagg."

"Good, now get out, I still have stuff to do."

Adrien sighed as he got out of the car. Seriously, he was so used to Plagg acting this way.

"ADRIKINS!"

Nope, nope, nope, nope nopenopenopenope. "Ugh," Adrien groaned as he felt Chloe's arms around his neck. "Chloe, what are you doing?" He hissed.

"I'm saving you from your fans, genius." She whispered. He looked around, and surely the girls were already bringing out their pens and posters of him. He shuddered inwardly.

"Come on, let's head inside." She said as he lead him inside.

"SABRINA!"

A short-haired girl quickly approached them. "Yes, Chloe?"

"Bring my bag for me." The girl ordered, handing out her bag.

The girl nodded and dashed towards the classroom.

Chloe had guided him to their classroom. "Sit here, Adrikins." She said, pointing towards one of the empty seats in front. "Hopefully Lahiffe can be friends with you and now you would be around boys your age."

Adrien wanted to defend that he actually had male "friends" around his age. Unfortunately, those boys were spoiled, mean, and sometimes, whenever you did something that they didn't like, they would say words like, "My father will hear about this!" Seriously, what a bunch of ferrets.

He placed his bag on top of his desk and sat down, nervous to what his classmates would think about him.

Moments later, more students came. They would greet him and introduce themselves in the process. The boy was thankful that they treated him like a normal, average student.

Then, Nino and Alya came. Nino sat beside him while Alya sat behind Nino.

NANII?

"You must be new, Hi! I'm Nino!" He held out his hand, Adrien instantly shook his hand. "Hi! I'm Adrien!" He squeaked.

"That right there is my girlfriend, Alya." Said girl waved.

Adrien shyly waved back.

So, if Alya and Nino were his classmates, that would mean...

"Sorry I'm late-mph!"

Adrien was instantly at his feet and helped the girl up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm..." The girl looked up and her bluebell eyes widened."...fine."

"Marinette," Adrien breathed.

They continued to stare at each other, one filled with surprise while the other was happy that his Princess was with him.

"Man, it's like watching a romantic movie." Nino whispered to Alya.

Alya smirked. "Oh really?" She said, her mind seemed to be planning something.

Nino gulped. He'd apologize to Marinette later.

"GOOD MORNING CLASS!"

Both Adrien and Marinette looked surprised.

Ms. Bustier smiled at the two. "Marinette, Adrien please both head back to your seats." The girl obliged. "Everyone, today you'll be having a new classmate. Now he might be famous, but here in class, I want you to treat him as a classmate and not as a celebrity."

The class agreed in unison.

"Umm, Adrien," Marinette called. Adrien looked up from his writing. "What is it Marinette?"

"Ms. Bustier said that since you're a new student, I should give you a tour." She said with a smile.

"Sure."

The tour was awesome, in Adrien's opinion. It felt great to spend time with Marinette. The girl told him about all the different places in the school, and even manage to share some of her experiences in those places.

"So... did I do well as your tour guide?" Marinette asked shyly at the end.

The model gave her an encouraging smile. "You did great."

* * *

"So kid, how was the first day?" Plagg asked as he got in the car. The Gorilla, as always, remained quiet.

"It was awesome." Adrien said dreamily.

"I bet you saw your girlfriend." Plagg snickered, completely ignoring Adrien's glare.

"She's-just-a-friend." Adrien stated and went to stare at the window rather than Plagg.

Plagg rolled his eyes. The boy was an oblivious idiot, he was sure of it.

Even Tikki would agree with him.

* * *

 **Aaaaaaand I'm DONE... with the chapter.**

 **I just watched Infinity War and my mind is still processing what had happened in the movie (This is my excuse for not updating as early as I can). I didn't even cry (I know, I'm heartless) and yet, my mind is forming theories of what could have possibly happened to _them_ (I'm probably in denial). ** **Anyway, ever since watching the movie, I have these urges to watch DC/MARVEL superhero movies, read more fanfics, and watch any comic-related videos.**

 **So yep, my inner comic-fan self is taking over, again.**

 **Anyway, I hope you like this chapter and please review!**


	8. Chapter Eight

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MIRACULOUS LADYBUG OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS.**

* * *

Chapter Eight

* * *

Marinette was great in many things.

She was great in designing clothes, sewing, helping her parents bake, and self-defense.

But she was never great in dealing with her Physics homework.

It was after their classes that the girls decided to come to Juleka's house for their group study. Everyone in their class seemed to be struggling with their Physics homework, except for a few like Max, and surprisingly, Adrien.

"Dude, how?" Nino had said when Adrien had told them that he had already finished the homework, which was due on Monday.

"It was easy." Adrien honestly told them, his facial expression making it look impossible for them to think that he might be bragging. "Besides, I like Physics."

They all looked at him like he'd grown another head.

The girls sat together in the dining room. All were concentrated with their works while others asked for help with certain items.

"Guys," she said, bringing the other girls' attention to her. "Help me. I can't deal with question number two."

Alix, who was sitting beside her, placed a hand on her shoulder. "I feel your pain."

"Remind me why we didn't bring Max again?" Alya asked Juleka and Rose, the two who had initiated this group study in the first place. She looked really tired from dealing with homework.

"He was assisting Kim with some stuff." Mylene answered for them, her face not even looking worn out from the struggle of dealing with their homework.

"I think I know the solution!" Rose chirped.

"For question number two?" Marinette asked hopefully.

"Nope! Number five!"

The rest groaned.

"Juleka!" A male's voice called out from somewhere. "Do you know where my pick is? The one with Jagged Stone design?"

At the girls' curious expressions, Juleka mouthed, "My brother." and excused herself.

"I didn't know Juleka had a sibling." Alix said, surprise evident in her voice. "Neither did I." One of them said.

"I'm back." Juleka said a few minutes later.

An hour passed, and they were all finished with the homework. Some were not very certain of their answers, but still looked at the bright side of things.

"At least we tried." Alix said.

"Okay guys," Alya started. "Now that we're finished with that Physics homework, it's time we have our 'Girl Secret Chat.'"

Girl Secret Chat was one of those things Alya had invented for them to be able trust each other more and further strengthen their friendship. Marinette thought that another reason that Alya had was because she wanted to be updated of what's happening with everyone, especially when it comes to the love department.

"But Chloe and Sabrina are not here." Mylene stated. Alya waved her off. "We'll just tell them in the group chat later. Now, who wants to start?" She asked as she scanned the room. Everyone seemed to look anywhere but her.

"No worries, I got this covered." Alya said as she took her pen and placed it at the center. She started spinning it.

The pen's tip stopped in front of Alix. "Tell us something we don't know Alix." The aspiring journalist said in a playful manner. The others looked eagerly at the girl being questioned.

Alix sighed, there was no escaping Alya. She took out something from her pocket and showed it to them. "This was given to me by my Dad for my birthday." It was a pocket watch.

There were "oohs" and "ahhs" that followed. Alya nodded, feeling satisfied, and gave the honors to Alix to spin the pen once more.

The tip almost landed to Alya, but it moved a bit to Marinette.

Of course.

"Mari, any secrets you'd like to share?"

Marinette thought for a moment. No way was she going to admit that she liked Chat in front of everyone like this. But she disliked lying. She had to tell something, or else there'll be consequences. She then smirked, because although Alya might be her best friend, she was sure Alya didn't know _everything_ about her childhood.

"When I was little, I used to train in the forest." She said, feeling proud of herself for not spilling the "Crush Secret."

"We know." One of them deadpanned. "It's the reason why you're sometimes absent back then."

Oh. Well that was embarrassing.

"Come on Mari, spill the beans." Alya insisted. "Just confirm it here now, please?"

"You know Alya?" Alix asked, suspicious. "I thought Girl Secret Chat was supposed to be sharing secrets that NO ONE else in the group knows?"

"Yeah but Marinette didn't confirm it, she only said he was cute."

" _OHHHHHH_." Alix smirked, seeming to know where this was going. "I _liiiike_ where this is going."

"What is it? What's going on?" Rose asked, puzzled.

"Our 'lil Marinette's growing up." Alix said, her eyes filled with hunger for the secret. "She _liiiikes_ someone."

The rest of the girls squealed while the others were just excited.

Marinette gulped. "N-no I don't!" She looked at Alya for help, but the girl just laughed at her and said, "No offense Mari, but you're a bad liar."

They continued to press her, until she finally gave in. "FINE! I... I like... S-Sunshine Kid!"

'Oh no, what have I done,' she thought glumly.

"Sunshine Kid?" Alix said, confused. She looked at Mylene. "Do you know a 'Sunshine Kid?'" The girl shook her head.

The rest looked confused, especially Alya. There was no way Chat Noir could be 'Sunshine Kid' with the way he dresses.

"You mean Adrien?" Rose asked, voice filled with excitement. "Adrien Agreste?"

"N-No!" Marinette said in defense. "Adrien's just a classmate!"

"Of course! With the way he looks and his personality, he MUST be Sunshine Kid!"

"He's really not-"

"It's okay Marinette, we'll keep it a secret." Juleka simply stated.

Alya emained quiet, which scared Marinette. Her best friend's face was unreadable.

"I knew it." She heard the girl whisper, and suddenly the girl was basically squealing in excitement. "YOU ARE IN A LOVE TRIANGLE AHHH!"

"Wait, LOVE TRIANGLE?" Mylene asked confused.

"YEAH SHE MMMMMmmmmmmmmm-"

"Nope! I'm definitely loyal to my Sunshine Kid ehehe!" Marinette intervened. "Loyal me!" She said dryly.

The others just shrugged. Meanwhile, Marinette glared at Alya.

"Did you just lick my palm?"

* * *

"That was hilarious!" Chat clutched his stomach, not even bothered by the people staring at them as they walked the streets of Paris.

"Shut up you dumb cat!" Marinette glared at the boy, feeling her face heating up.

Thank goodness she never told Chat about her crush on him or he'll probably tease her forever.

"Okay, okay. So you told everyone, that you like this boy, who's certainly 'just a classmate' because you didn't want to tell them that you like another guy?" Chat snickered. "Tell me who this boy is."

'You, you dumb kitty.' Marinette thought. "Why are you with me again?"

"I'm wounded My Purrincess! I have come to assist you with shopping!"

Marinette looked up, seeing the night sky and the Eiffel Tower's glowing figure in the distance. "Isn't it kind of late though?"

"I'm the knight, and it's my role to protect my princess."

Oh dear, Marinette tried to calm herself down. 'He called me 'his princess.''

Chat was carrying the two shopping bags from the market, leaving Marinette with nothing to carry but her purse, which contained her money and etc.

It was a cool Sunday evening. Chat surprised Marinette by showing up on her way to the market. Chat waited patiently for Marinette to pick the ingredients and necessities that they needed, and had sometimes helped with picking stuff.

"Marinette watch out!"

A man ran passed her, bumping her in the process. She fell on her butt with a loud thud.

As she regained her composure, she saw the man clutching her purse. The same purse that she spent time making on. One of her successful works.

"Oh no you don't!" Marinette yelled as she ran after the thief, leaving Chat dumbfounded.

"Mari wait!"

After passing a few establishments, the unknown thief turned a corner, Marinette smirked. She knew that corner was a dead end, unless the man can do parkour. Unfortunately for him, Marinette DID know how to do parkour, so even if he could escape through that Marinette would still be able to chase him.

Just as suspected, the man stopped, and turned to go back, but the pig-tailed girl was there, her face as scary as ever.

But the thief was willing to harm a person if he had to, so he produced a knife from his pocket.

* * *

Chat panted as his legs grew tired of running after Marinette. That girl was incredibly fast, it was amazingly scary.

He continued to run, his tired legs and the weight in his arms making him slower. He needed to find Marinette, fast, or she might get injured.

The thought of Marinette getting injured really bothered Adrien. He tried to remove the thought of His Princess getting injured out of his mind but it seemed like he couldn't. He was supposed to be her knight, but it seemed like he was really terrible at it.

There was a corner, and he could hear noises. Feeling more panicked than ever, Chat ran a bit faster, and saw a shocking sight before him.

Marinette wasn't injured, and was rather, panting heavily. She was glaring at the thief, who was knocked out cold on the floor. There was a discarded knife lying near the wall.

Marinette recovered her bag and checked its contents. "Oh hey Chat." Marinette greeted nonchalantly giving him a short wave.

Adrien gulped and tried not to feel surprised. "Hey Mari, you okay?"

"I'm fine." His Princess answered as he stood up, a grin forming on her face. "Shall we take this guy to the police?"

* * *

"We are very thankful to the both of you for your full cooperation, ma'am, sir," Officer Roger nodded. "This man's been on our wanted list for weeks. He's had more than ten complaints and he's caused fatal injuries to most of the people we stole from."

"No problem, Officer." The girl said. "Well, we better get going, it's already late."

"Are you sure you don't want me to inform your parents?"

"There's no need."

Marinette left the station, Chat following close behind. He was still carrying the bags, but it didn't bother him very much.

"Chat, you've been quiet for a while, are you o-mmph!" Marinette turned to face the cat but was rather embraced by the boy, hugging her tightly, but leaving a little space for her to breathe.

"Don't you dare do that again you hear me Princess!" Chat hugged her tighter, if possible. Marinette could almost hear how Chat was trying to stop tears from the way he sounded.

"I was so worried." Chat continued. "So scared. I-I-I didn't want anything bad happening to you Mari. So please, never do that again."

Marinette rubbed his back, feeling the soft cloth of his hoodie. "I'm sorry for scaring you Chat. I really am. It was selfish of me not to think about your feelings." She said soothingly. "But I can handle myself."

"No. It's my job to protect you. I told you that you're my Princess, and I'm your knight." Chat said as he pulled back and stared at Marinette's bluebell eyes.

Marinette stared at Chat's gorgeous green eyes. "I know that, but I'm not a damsel in distress Chat." She explained. "I know how to defend myself. But if you want, we could be partners? That way we'll always look out for each other." She held out her fist.

"Pound it?"

Chat smiled, and nodded. "Pound it."

* * *

Thinking of last night's events had let Marinette from a cool girl who knocked out a thief, to an imaginative wreck.

All because of Chat Noir.

Her Chat Noir.

It was always Chat Noir.

Marinette barely had any sleep last night thanks to that cat. Even so, she looked like she had a lot of energy.

Once again thanks to that dumb cat.

Her parents were deeply worried when she and Chat came back late, looking tired and as worn out as ever.

"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng," Chat had greeted. "Two bags of necessities carried to you by yours truly."

Her parents were so worried that they told the school about why Marinette would be absent today.

Which was why the girl was thankful, because she now had time to think and take in last night's events.

"Chat hugged me... HE HUGGED ME!" She exclaimed, a squeal after that. "HE SAID HE WAS WORRIED."

It was at this moment that Marinette began to overthink. 'Could he possibly like me? But we just met like, days ago. Is he falling for me? He hugged me so that must be a proof right? Oh man, Mari stop it with these thoughts.'

Marinette sighed. She took out her ring from under her shirt and stared at it with a bit of sadness. "What do you think, Sunshine Kid? Do you think I have a chance with him?"

"Speaking of Sunshine Kid, I wonder where he is now." Marinette thought out loud. "I haven't seen him in such a long time." She said as she stood up from her bed and went down to her desk, kneeled down, pulling a box from underneath.

Marinette made the box right after she went back from her training. Even though she only knew Sunshine Kid for a short time, she sort of felt attached to him. Anyone could say that it was out of pity, but Marinette was sure it was something more than that. She just wasn't sure what it was.

She carefully removed the box's lid, which was labeled, 'To Sunshine Kid.' Inside where a couple of letters and some stuff. The most recent one was a blue scarf that she'd worked on a few days ago.

She opened one letter, which was shaped like a heart for some reason. She read it, and with each word her face grew red.

She didn't remember liking Sunshine Kid! What the what?

But Marinette had a poor memory, so she really couldn't be so sure about that.

There was a knock on her door. "Come in!" She said as she hid the box.

"Umm, hey Marinette." The girl yelped.

It was Adrien, and he was in her room. Her eyes quickly went to where her posters of him were. Oh no, what if he gets the wrong idea?

"I just came here to give you your homework and to check up on you. How are you feeling?"

'Oh my gosh this boy is a pure cinnamon roll.' Marinette thought as she noticed that Adrien basically radiated sunshine and rainbows. 'Why is he so pure?!'

"I'm fine." Marinette squeaked.

"That's good." Adrien said as he gave her the homework. "Alya's busy today since she volunteered for an upcoming school project since you weren't there. She asked me if I could give you your homework."

Marinette smiled. "No problem." Thank goodness he did not notice the posters.

But Adrien was staring at something else, which was probably one of her Agreste magazines. He walked past her, knelt, and took something from the floor.

"Amazing work Marinette!" Adrien praised her as he showed her the blue scarf.

She must've dropped it when she hurriedly hid the box.

Oh man.

Marinette blushed. Adrien was the second guy to praise her. "Thanks."

Adrien continued to admire her work. "You might surpass my father someday as Paris' top fashion designer." He said in an admiring manner.

"You seem to really like it." Marinette noticed. Adrien blushed.

"You can keep it if you want." She added. 'What am I saying?' She thought.

"Are you sure? But I thought-"

Marinette nodded. "I'm sure."

If possible, Adrien's face shone brighter. "Thanks Marinette!"

* * *

 **I'M FINALLY FINISHED WITH THIS CHAPTER THANK GOODNESS.**

 **I hope you guys like this chapter and please review!**

 **Also, a slight clue of what's going to happen in the next chapter:**

 _ **AWKWARDNESS.**_


	9. Chapter Nine

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MIRACULOUS LADYBUG OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS.**

* * *

Chapter Nine

* * *

Adrien felt like he was going to die.

Yep, he probably will.

He did not expect to meet his possible future fiance, Rene Blanc, in a dinner party of all places.

Rene Blanc was a very pretty thirteen-year-old girl with curly raven hair and gray-colored irises. She stood with an air of confidence and superiority, as if, she she owned the place (her family did own the place though.) She was wearing one of her father's designs, a black decorated dress with beautiful silver beads and designs.

Moments ago, Gabriel Agreste, Adrien's father, had insisted that they should both attend Pierre Blanc's dinner party. The model reluctantly agreed, not wanting to displease his father.

When they had arrived, Gabriel headed straight to discuss something with Mr. Blanc, leaving Adrien, who took a drink from one of the stands, went to a corner of the large hall, and silently wished that no one would approach him.

Unfortunately, his wish did not come true.

"Hey." Rene started.

"Hi." Adrien said in return.

Silence. Adrien took a sip of his drink, looking at anywhere but the girl. A few seconds passed and he asked a question.

"So... how are you?"

"I'm okay. You?"

"I'm all right."

Silence.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Red."

"Mine's blue, the bluebell kind."

Silence.

Adrien could tell that other people were staring at them, but eventually would look away. They probably couldn't handle the awkwardness in the air.

"So..." Adrien looked up from staring at his glass. Rene actually initiated the conversation this time. "Why bluebell?"

Adrien stared at her. "W-Well, you were very specific with what kind of blue and I was really curious about that." She explained, her cheeks reddening. The boy was a bit shocked that the confident girl from before was feeling a bit embarrassed.

Adrien's cheeks started to redden as well. "The reason's pretty ridiculous."  
He told her.

The girl gave him a pleading look. "Please, I promise I won't laugh."

Adrien started to play with his glass, tilting it back and forth. It wasn't really a good "Agreste" manner, but he was really feeling nervous of what the girl's reaction might be when she finds out his reason.

"It's my favorite color because... it's very unique." Adrien said softly. "For me, it was the color of home, the color of hope. It was the spark in that color that made me smile again. That made me trust her. It was the color that belonged to My Lady's beautiful eyes. I've never seen anything like it. For me, it was the most beautiful color that I've ever seen." His elbow was now leaning at a nearby table.

A giggle snapped him out of his thoughts.

"You must reeaaaaally like 'Your Lady.'" Rene said, looking amused.

Adrien's panicked look made Rene laugh. "Don't worry. I like someone else too, which is why I don't really approve of this 'arranged marriage' thingy."

To Adrien's relief, Rene didn't even like him in a romantic way in one slightest bit. They talked for a while. Rene would share to him details about her and would tell him how ridiculous it was that her father approved to something like an arranged engagement.

As Rene was telling him about an experience involving her trip to America, Adrien's eyes widened when he noticed someone with blue-raven hair wearing a red dress.

"Excuse me for a moment." Was the last thing Adrien told Rene before he dashed off to follow the figure.

"WAIT!" He yelled, but the female did not stop. "LADYBUG!"

He ran faster, pushing some people out of his way and mumbling an apology to them. "Ladybug wait!" He was able to catch up to her, holding her hand and not letting go.

The female finally stopped. "Is there a problem?" A girl with light brown eyes turned to face him.

Adrien quickly let go of her hand. "Sorry," he said, feeling really embarrassed. "I thought you were someone else."

"Kagami!" Rene exclaimed happily, approaching the two. "You know him, Kagami?" She asked, looking back and forth and between the two.

"No," Kagami answered. "Your friend thought I was someone else."

"Oh. Well, Kagami, this is my friend, Adrien Agreste. Adrien, this is Kagami Tsurugi." Rene introduced.

Kagami smiled at him. "A pleasure to meet you Adrien. She held out her hand.

"Likewise." Adrien said, shaking her hand. "I'm sorry about what happened a moment ago."

"It's okay."

Rene blurted out suddenly, "Kagami here likes to fence. She's from a prestigious family."

"You fence?"

"And I was the best, everywhere I went."

"Oh really?"

Rene had invited Kagami to join them for dinner. Adrien had never been more awkward his entire life, watching and listening as the two had their conversation. It seemed like the two hadn't seen each other in a long time.

"Ooh Kagami! Adrien here likes fencing too." Rene said out of nowhere. "But I don't think you can have him, his heart already belongs to someone else."

Adrien's cheeks reddened. Rene was really... free-spirited. "I'm really not that good at it. Besides, the girl that I like doesn't really know I like her."

He heard an "Aww" from Rene, meanwhile Kagami was staring at Adrien.

He didn't know if that was a bad thing.

"We should have a match sometime." Kagami casually said. She was cutting her food carefully, as if afraid that it'll make the slightest noise. Adrien took a sip from his drink. "Okay."

They talked a bit more after that, and Adrien would say to his father later on that his awkward dinner with Pierre Blanc's daughter went well.

* * *

Everyday, Adrien always looked forward to going to school. Especially since his Princess was there with him.

Sure, he didn't like that Marinette didn't open up to him as much as she opened up to Chat, but at least he could talk to her and learn about her from a different point of view.

Today, it was Monday, and Adrien was pretty much worried that Marinette wasn't here in school. He could understand that Marinette's parents worry for her, to the point where they even let her be absent from school just to let her rest. But although Nino was becoming his best buddy in school, Marinette was the person who actually gave him a home.

When he went to Marinette's house to give her their homework, he just couldn't resist feeling drawn to the scarf Marinette had been working on. It was beautiful, and such effort and care was put into making it. As if, the person the scarf was meant for meant the world to Marinette.

When Marinette had told him that he could have it, he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel the satisfaction that Marinette had given him the scarf. Of course he felt sorry at first, since it wasn't ACTUALLY meant for him.

Adrien headed back to the car, where The Gorilla was waiting for him. As they drove off, Adrien stared at the window and let his mind fly elsewhere.

He wasn't an idiot. He knows he got jealous when Marinette told him that the scarf was for someone else. He knows he likes her, but he also likes Ladybug.

Adrien reached for his pocket and held on to his Lucky Charm, instinctively rubbing the beads. He then felt the scarf that was wrapped around his neck, and felt it's soft material.

Adrien never wanted nor wished to be a two-timer, especially with people like Marinette. The girl deserved better. But he also didn't want to let go of Ladybug, the girl who had helped him smile again, who had her mother's smile. They were both important to him.

But Ladybug was the past, and Marinette was the present.

There was a saying about that. If Adrien recalled correctly, it was that one should concentrate in the present and not dwell in the past.

But how? Ladybug was too important to him. She was the reason to why he was like this right now and not some dark, broody boy who seeked vengeance and justice for what had happened to his mother.

He liked Ladybug. You could say that he loved her even. Adrien couldn't tell if it was only infatuation or love itself, since he had only gotten to know her just for a short period of time.

By the time his deep thinking was almost over, the car had stopped in front of the mansion. Adrien hopped off the car and raced inside, were his father stood at the top of the stairs.

"Adrien," Gabriel said, acknowledging his son. "I want to personally inform you about something."

Adrien remained quiet, his right hand on the strap of his book bag. Gabriel took this as a sign to go on.

"I want to tell you about a contest our company will be helding." Gabriel said. "Is it all right with you if you are to model the winner's work?"

Adrien gave Gabriel a genuine smile. 'Father's really trying his best to be a good father.' "I'm okay with that."

Gabriel nodded. "Good. I will inform your school about the contest."

The fashion designer's gaze went to Adrien's neck, where Marinette's scarf was. "Where did you get that?" He asked, coming towards Adrien to examine the scarf.

"My friend made it." He said as he reluctantly gave the man the scarf to examine it.

"Hmm, your friend is very talented." Gabriel observed the scarf. This friend of Adrien's could be useful to his company. The scarf itself looked as If it was made by a professional. "I look forward to meeting this friend of yours after the contest Adrien." Gabriel said as he gave the scarf back to his son and left.

Adrien smiled. _Marinette will like that._

He headed back to his room and closed the door. There, he was met by Plagg, who, for some reason, loved to hangout in his room.

"Got any camembert?" Plagg asked from his place in Adrien's sofa. Adrien took out a wheel of camembert from his bag, he held it as far away from him as possible, because the smell's too horrible.

"Here." He said as he basically threw the cheese towards Plagg.

Plagg caught it like it was nothing, and began eating it like it was the most delicious thing in the world.

Adrien took out his homework and began doing it. "You know, I don't know how you can stand eating that. It's disgusting." He told the man.

"You just don't have class." Plagg replied, still nibbling his cheese. "Camembert's the best thing in the world."

"Your world maybe." Adrien mumbled. "Because of you I had to smell like stinky cheese, even Nino started asking me about the smell."

Apparently Plagg had heard him, because the man said, "That smell is the most amazing thing in the world."

There was silence for a moment.

"Hey, you going to visit your girlfriend again?"

"Plagg, he's not my girlfriend. Marinette's just a friend."

"Sure kid, sure. Anyway, you have a photo shoot early morning tomorrow, so you'll be able to attend your classes in the afternoon." Plagg informed him.

Adrien sighed. ' _Great, more photoshoots_.'

* * *

 **Hurray! I finally did this chapter!**

 **Anyways, I'd like to thank you all for following/adding this story to your favorites/reviewing this story!**

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter and please review!**


	10. Chapter Ten

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE SHOW OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS.**

* * *

Chapter Ten

* * *

"Have you already picked something you like Marinette?" The shop owner asked the girl as soon as she saw that Marinette was finally agreeing in her inner debate on whether the material was good or not.

"Yep!" Marinette answered enthusiastically. "How much for the cloth?"

As soon as the owner said the price, Marinette took out the money from her purse and handed it over to the lady. She bade goodbye and left the store, immediately going home in order to make the hat.

Earlier today, Mr. Damocles had announced about a contest. The contest was about designing a fashion piece, and it was due until later that day. The finished products would be then judged by Gabriel Agreste, one of Paris' top fashion designers. The prizes were that the winner's work would be modeled by Adrien Agreste and a personal meet-and-greet later on with Gabriel Agreste himself.

Some of the students complained that a day was too short. The others, like Chloe, considered not joining, saying that she's got better stuff to do rather than join a contest she would later on probably lose anyway.

Marinette, of course, was delighted to hear this news. She'll finally meet her idol!

Unless she wins of course, which she will, because an opportunity like this must be taken immediately and not go to waste.

The theme was about derby hats, and Marinette had slightly panicked.

"Oh Alya what do I do?" Marinette had moaned once they were outside of the classroom. She kept looking for any derby hat designs in her sketch pad. Unfortunately, there was none.

"Relax girl." Alya had said, patting Marinette at the back. "You can do it."

They headed to one of the benches and sat there. Marinette had started to ramble about why it couldn't just be any type of hat rather derby hats and she'd probably humiliate herself in front of Mr. Agreste.

Suddenly, Adrien and Nino popped out of nowhere.

And it had made Marinette jump and fall off her seat.

"You can do it Marinette!" Adrien had encouraged her. "After all, you made that awesome scarf. You're super-talented!"

Nino had added. "My dude's right! You're like, the most creative girl in class!"

"See Marinette? Even Nino and Adrien think you could do it." Alya had told her.

"Thanks for the encouragement guys." The girl had said, feeling truthful.

After that, she headed straight to her place of inspiration and had managed to make a design. Then headed to a store and bought some materials.

Marinette entered her home, quickly greeted her parents, and headed upstairs. She headed for her desk, sat down, and collected her materials.

She took out a needle from somewhere and immediately started working on her hat.

A few hours passed, and she was finally finished with her hat.

"Aaaaaaand DONE!" Marinette exclaimed happily, holding her hat against the light and checking if there were any mistakes.

It was a good thing she double-checked, because it was missing a feather.

Marinette's eyes widened. She carefully placed her hat at the top of the table and dashed downstairs.

"MomDadI'mjustgoingtolookforafeatherbye!" She said as she left her house.

She headed to the Trocadéro, since the place had a lot of pigeons. Marinette was hoping to find a stray feather somewhere.

And she did.

* * *

"I'M HERE!" Marinette announced as she headed straight for the place of judgement.

"Marinette," Adrien waved. "You made it just in time." He said.

Adrien was guiding a man, who Marinette guessed was his assistant. The man was holding a tablet which showed Gabriel Agreste's face.

Marinette could've sworn if she started saying something she would stutter.

"Adrien, you seem to know this woman pretty well." Gabriel noticed.

"Uh, yes Father." Adrien confirmed. "This is Marinette. She's the one who made the scarf you saw."

Marinette's legs started to feel like they were jelly. Mr. Agreste had seen her work?

"Very well." The man said. He then turned to Marinette, who was holding the box that contained her derby hat. "You may start presenting your work."

Marinette gulped, but eventually removed the lid of her box and took out her derby hat." Um, my derby hat is hand-made. From the embroidery, to the weaving of the band, to the stitching of the brim. They're all done by myself. And lastly, as proof that this work is indeed mine, I signed it." She explained, showing Mr. Agreste her signature.

"Hmm, you are indeed very talented Ms. Marinette. You're the winner." He said, and Marinette felt like she was going to die of joy.

A few words were spoken after that, and finally, Gabriel Agreste's face disappeared from the screen.

"Thank goodness that was over." The man-Plagg-said. "I need camembert after that. My arms' aching from all that holding and stuff."

Adrien paid him no attention. Instead, he went over to Marinette, who was still smiling because of the fact that she just won Gabriel Agreste's contest.

"Awesome job, Marinette." Adrien told her. "Can I borrow the hat for a moment? I'd like to try it on."

"S-s-sure!" The winner said, giving Adrien the hat. He started to put the hat on but suddenly sneezed. At Marinette's curious expression, he explained. "Sorry! I'm allergic to feathers." He explained, smiling sheepishly.

"It's okay!" Marinette grinned. "I understand."

Plagg suddenly appeared in front of them. "You're the girlfr-I mean, the winner right?" Not waiting for an answer, he handed Marinette an envelope. "That's an invitation for tomorrow's party. You'll be able to meet Gabriel Agreste there. Congratulations!" He said, trying to sound enthusiastic.

Adrien rolled his eyes. "Sorry about my assistant over here. He's just hungry." He apologized to the girl.

"It's alright!" Marinette said. She then invited the two of them over to her bakery. "You guys could come to my parents' bakery. They'd really be happy to have you guys!"

"No need to Mari-"

"SURE! Lead the way!"

Marinette heard Adrien sigh as she led the way.

* * *

Later that night, Marinette, was in panicking mode, again.

She was currently in her room, rummaging her closet for any proper attires she could wear.

"Evening Princess!" Chat's voice greeted, making Marinette jump.

"Not now, Chat." Marinette told the boy, managing to go back to looking for proper clothing and not even bothering to spare him a glance. She picked a pink dress from her closet, examined it, and shook her head. She threw it back inside. "I'm having a problem."

"What problem?" Chat asked, sounding worried. "Maybe I could help you."

"It's not like that." Marinette said, easing Chat's concern. "I just won a contest and now I have to attend this party to meet my idol."

"Gabriel Agreste?" Chat asked, not waiting for an answer, he then added, "Maybe I can help you out."

"Thanks Chat, but I'm not really sure you're the best person to ask for beauty tips and such."

"Me-ouch! You wound me, Princess."

Marinette took out a yellow dress from her closet. _Hmm, wait, why a dress? I need a gown. Yeah, it's a formal party! I need a gown!_

"Anyway Princess, can I borrow your phone?" Chat asked from his place at the chaise. "I just need to search something."

"Okay but don't look at my gallery." Marinette warned from inside her closet.

Chat took her phone and tapping noises could be heard from where he was sitting. Suddenly, a romantic song filled the room.

"What's Chat up to now?" Marinette thought out loud from inside the closet.

Suddenly Chat tapped her shoulder. She turned towards him and found his arm held out. "Princess, may I have this dance?"

"What's this about?" She asked, trying to look like she doesn't get the point of any of this. In the inside though, her mind was screaming: HE ASKED YOU TO DANCE WITH HIM AHHHHH

Chat winked. "Well, if you're going to a party you might as well learn how to dance."

He took her arm gently and led her to the center of the room and stopped, both facing towards each other. He took her left hand and gently placed it on his right shoulder. His left hand gently held her right hand up. His right hand was placed at her mid to upper back.

Marinette had never stood this close to Chat before, and with that realization, she blushed, but had manage to hide it from her crush.

"I might step on your foot." Marinette said in a joking manner.

Her kitty laughed. "It's okay. At least a princess would be stepping on her knight's foot. Better that than anyone else."

His princess giggled. She wanted to say right then and there that she liked him, but she did not want to ruin this, what they have right now.

"Just follow my lead okay?"

"Okay."

Marinette felt like she was in paradise. Her problems and worries were all gone at that moment.

All that mattered to her right now was her knight.

Also, this is NOW her favorite song.

* * *

 **YESSSSS I JUST UPDATED AGAIN!**

 **YOU GUYS REVIEWING/FOLLOWING/ADDING THIS STORY TO YOUR FAVORITES REALLY MOTIVATED ME TO UPDATE AGAIN!**


	11. Chapter Eleven

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE STORY OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS.**

* * *

Chapter Eleven

* * *

"Now Adrien, I approve of your girlfriend." Plagg said, happily munching on his camembert. "You're a lucky boy to have someone as sweet as Marinette to be your girlfriend."

"I told you Plagg, she's just a-"

"Oh don't you dare give me that Adrien "Just-A-Friend" Agreste excuse!" Plagg snapped. "In fact, don't give me sentences with both 'Marinette' and 'friend' in it at all!"

"Fine." Adrien huffed. "Are we there yet?" He asked, feeling impatient.

"Relax kitten, you'll see your Princess soon." Plagg said with an eye roll. ' _Kids these days.'_ He thought. ' _Always feeling impatient.'_

His thoughts were interrupted by a phone call, a particular ringtone that he wished didn't rang right now:

 **TIKKI**  
 _ANSWER IMMEDIATELY OR FACE THE WRATH OF THE COOKIE MONSTER_

Adrien had never seen Plagg so nervous in his entire life. The man gulped, and with a shaking hand, answered his phone.

"H-Hello? Heyyyy Tikki!-Uhh yeah. I'm okay-Wait, you're what?-No, not that I don't want you to- Noooooo I'm pretty well-behaved!-Umm, okay- Yeah-Mhmm! Yeah-Take care okay!"

Plagg sighed in relief as the call ended. Adrien was staring at him as if he'd suddenly turned into a cat or something.

"Do I even want to know?" Adrien asked, carefully taking note of how this 'Tikki' had managed to scare a being like Plagg.

"It's just a friend of mine." Plagg answered, trying to sound like it was nothing to be concerned about. "She's just being the usual friend."

Adrien didn't ask anymore questions after that, respecting Plagg's privacy. For a while, only the sound of the car's engine and noises from outside were heard, until the Gorilla grunted, signalling Adrien that they were near Marinette's residence.

"Good luck, kid." Was the last thing Adrien heard from Plagg as he left the car. He fixed the bow tie of his white tuxedo around his neck. _'Alright_ _Adrien, you can do this.'_ He thought as he stepped at the Dupain-Chengs' front door. ' _It's just Marinette, right?_ '

 _'Nope._ ' Another part of his mind replied. _'It's not 'just Marinette.' It's your Princess who just danced with you last night. And don't try to hide the fact that you enjoyed dancing with her.'_

 _'Shush!_ ' Adrien thought. The front door looked bigger and more intimidating than before. He braced himself as he knocked.

A few seconds later the door opened, and Adrien's jaw almost dropped.

His Princess looked really beautiful tonight. Not that she didn't look beautiful everyday, but tonight, she was wearing a gown for the first time since Adrien had met her.

Marinette was wearing a red evening gown with intricate designs and black evening gloves. Her hair was tied in a bun. She was only wearing simple makeup, but oh gods, she looked alluring.

"Adrien!" Marinette acknowledged. One of her gloved hands was holding a black purse. The other was holding the door open for him. "You're here!"

"Y-yeah! You look very beautiful Marinette!" Adrien can't help it. His Princess was just too gorgeous tonight. _'She looks like a true princess.'_

Marinette's cheeks reddened.

"Hello Adrien," Behind Marinette appeared Tom and Sabine, wearing a heartwarming smile. "You look very handsome as always."

Adrien beamed. This is going good so far. "Thank you Mister and Missus Dupain-Cheng."

"Now Adrien, Marinette, I want the two of you to stand together side by side." Tom instructed, gaining questioning looks from the two.

Both Adrien and Marinette complied, one was feeling nervous while the other was just plain confused.

"There!" Sabine clapped happily, feeling happiness for her daughter. A camera was now in her hands. "Now smile at the camera!"

"Mom! Dad!" Marinette tried to cover her face and apologize to her classmate out of embarrassment.

* * *

"Sorry about my parents." Adrien heard Marinette say as he escorted her to the car.

"It's okay," Adrien said in a reassuring tone. "They're just being 'themselves' after all."

Marinette laughed. Adrien opened the door to the back seat for her, letting her in. Plagg was now sitting in front, he mumbled a "Hi" to Marinette and went back to doing some stuff on his phone.

"Are you feeling comfortable Marinette?" Adrien asked once they were on their way to the event.

"Yeah." Marinette answered, giving him a smile. She didn't want to create an atmosphere of awkwardness with Adrien so she started asking him stuff about him, feeling excited to get to know him better.

"Well I can fence, play the piano, play basketball, understand Morse code, and speak Chinese." Adrien answered with full honesty. He silently added, ' _I can also flirt and make puns.'_

"Wow. You're awesome Adrien." Marinette said in awe. "But do you really like doing those? I feel like they're more of an obligation to you rather than a thing you love doing."

Well dang, Marinette can see right through him.

Adrien scratched the back of his neck. "Well it pays off to learn those things... after all my father says I'm going to take over his company someday." He told her. "So I should really do well."

"But what do you really love doing?" Marinette asked. "There must be something that you like doing."

"Seeing you." He wanted to answer, but instead, "I like listening to Jagged Stone, play video games, and hanging out with you guys." He answered her. ' _I also like watching anime and reading manga but you already know that I like those as Chat.'_

"I like Jagged Stone too!" _I know_. "Playing video games!" _Yeah, you pulverized me in Ultimate Mecha Strike III last time._ "And hanging out with my friends as well." _Yeah, you're a great friend._

"So what about you Marinette?" Adrien asked this time. "What do you love doing aside from those things?"

Without any hesitation, Marinette answered, "I love designing clothes and helping my friends."

Adrien secretly gave her a proud smile. _'It's two of the many great things about you.'_

Meanwhile, in front of the car. The Gorilla remained his usual self. Beside him, Plagg gagged.

 _'Teenagers and their romantic drama. This is why I prefer camembert.'_

The car finally stopped in front of a huge hotel building. It was as high as the Bourgeois' hotel, but wider. Adrien recalled that the last time he went here was when he was only twelve years old, when his father forced him to attend a party and meet possible future business partners.

Now, Adrien was having a weird sense of déjà vu **.** It was like the last time, when he attended Chloe's party. A red carpet in front of him. Fans, photographers, and reporters at the sidelines.

Except...

Except this time, he's got Marinette with him.

He turned to check up on her, and sure enough, the girl was a bit pale. Her eyes wide with fear as she looked at the amount of people who were there.

Adrien's eyes met hers, and he gave her a reassuring smile. Marinette smiled sheepishly, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Sorry, it's just a bit overwhelming." She said, looking a bit embarrassed by the fact that a huge crowd intimidated her.

"It'll be okay, Marinette." Adrien reassured her. The girl nodded in understanding.

Adrien got out of the car first, and that was when people (most likely his fans) started screaming in delight. The boy paid no attention to this. Instead, he helped Marinette get out of the car.

Marinette mumbled a "Thanks." Adrien escorted her through the crowd, ignoring reporters and such.

They headed towards the rooftop, where the party would be held. The two got out of the elevator and were greeted by a beautiful sight.

The sky was shining with what seemed like a thousand stars. Tables were placed in certain spots of the room, leaving a huge area at the center. People were chatting casually, laughing every now and then. Musicians were in a certain spot, playing classical music.

"Umm, you okay Marinette?" Adrien asked as he glanced over his partner. Marinette looked like she was about to faint.

"I'm okay." Marinette squeaked. "Just... I expected it to be grand but I didn't expect it to be _this_ grand!"

The boy chuckled. "Come on, let's go find some seats."

* * *

"Ahh so this is the talented Miss Marinette Dupain-Cheng." Gabriel greeted in a regal tone as he approached the two. "You are very gifted indeed."

Marinette blushed at the comment. "Thank you Monsieur Agreste."

"That dress of yours, did you design it?"

"Y-Yes."

Adrien rolled his eyes. His father could really be like that sometimes. "Anyway, let me introduce you, Father, to my friend, Marinette. Marinette, this is my father, Gabriel Agreste."

"Would you mind, Miss Marinette, if I could talk to you in private?" Gabriel asked the girl. Although with the tone of his voice it sounded like an order rather than a request.

Marinette glanced at Adrien. The boy just gave her a shrug.

"Uh, I don't mind at all, Monsieur Agreste." And with that, Gabriel and Marinette left Adrien alone.

Adrien sighed. Might as well go and sit down.

A few minutes later and Marinette finally came back. At first, Adrien was worried that his father might've said something bad to Marinette, but seeing the wide smile on Marinette's face, he highly doubted that.

"So, what did my father tell you?" Adrien asked, as Marinette sat down beside him. The girl looked really happy.

"Monsieur Agreste offered to help me achieve my dream." Marinette said, her eyes shining. "He said he'd let me become his sort-of apprentice this summer!"

"That's great!" Marinette really deserved it. His father must've wanted a talented girl like Marinette in the company.

A few more guests came. Adrien recognized most of them. He'd seen them before during previous events or at the news. He saw Rene with her father, who waved at him. He saw Chloe with Mayor Bourgeois, and a few other fashion designers.

The program was short, thankfully. A few usual speeches and all that, and finally dinner was served.

"Oh wow," He heard Marinette say as she looked at the food hungrily. "This food looks really expensive."

Adrien nodded. The food did taste good too, but he believed nothing can compare to Marinette's parents' cooking.

"Hello Adrien." It was Rene, she had finished eating, and was starting to mingle with other people.

At Marinette's confused look, he introduced them to each other. Rene got along with Marinette pretty well. They started chatting for what seemed like hours, until Chloe came.

"Adrikins!"

"Ugh! Um, Chloe please don't do that." He tried to remove the girl's arms that were wrapped around his neck.

Chloe surprisingly obeyed. She then gave a glance towards Marinette. "So this is your date huh? Hey Marinette."

Marinette waved. "Hey Chloe."

Chloe then glanced towards Rene. "Hey there Rene!" She said with a false relieved tone. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

Rene gave her a confused look. "Uhh, no you we-mmmph!" Chloe pulled her out of her seat. "Come on Rene, let's go over there."

Chloe then whispered something to Rene. The girl's eyes widened for a second, then glanced at the two, and finally agreed to go with the Mayor's daughter.

They left the two confused.

Suddenly, the classical music that filled the room changed. It was more of the modern kind now.

Adrien tried not to make it obvious that he was glancing at Marinette. The girl was biting her lip for some reason, staring at her half-finished dessert.

It's just easy right? He'll just ask Marinette if she'd like to dance with him. It's JuST thAT EaSY RIGHT?

This was one of those times Adrien wished he had Chat's confidence. he could really use some right now.

Finally, Marinette faced him.

"Adrien, let's dance." She stated firmly.

"Sure."

They headed towards the center,where other guests had started dancing.

Marinette and Adrien laughed at each other's silly moves. Their bodies moved to the beat of the music.

"Oh man," Marinette said with a loud voice since the music was too loud. "If I weren't wearing a gown I could show you just how awesome my dancing is."

Adrien laughed. "You're probably better at it than me."

They danced to the beat. Not caring about the people around them who were having a great time such as they were.

And then the romantic music came.

Adrien noticed that Marinette had stopped dancing when the first few notes of the romantic music came.

Around them, people were pairing up.

Adrien managed to gather some courage, finally.

"Hey, Marinette?" Said girl looked up to meet his eyes. "Wanna dance?"

"I... uhh, I'm not really good at dancing to this kind of music." Marinette admitted. She saw another couple who had their arms wrapped around each other.

Adrien would like to admit that he was surprised when Marinette, His Princess, wrapped her arms around his neck. As a response, he carefully placed his arms on her waist.

They danced together. Marinette was too shy to look up to meet his eyes. Adrien was too overwhelmed by the current events until...

Adrien felt that Marinette stopped moving. He stopped as well, concerned for her well-being.

"What's wrong Marinette?"

"Sorry, it's just... I love this song." Marinette replied, smiling to herself.

Adrien smiled at her. "What a coincidence, I love this song too."

Marinette looked up at him, her eyes filled with surprise at first, then she started laughing, Adrien joining.

"Marinette," Adrien breathed, catching the attention of the girl.

Adrien pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. "There we go." He said as he wiped away the crumb near her mouth.

He could feel the heat radiating off of Marinette's cheeks. "Oh wow this is embarrassing." She said looking down, trying to hide her face.

"Don't worry, I have my fair share of embarrassing moments as well." He said, laughing.

"Oh wait, I think you dropped something Adrien, near your right foot." Marinette told him, her eyes scrutinizing at the object.

"Oh! I'll get it." Adrien knelt and saw that it was his lucky charm. He picked it up and checked to see if it was damaged or losing a bead.

In front of him, Marinette looked at the object, her eyes widened.

"...Adrien... where... did you get that?"

* * *

 **Ah, cliffhangers.**

 **Anyway, thank you guys (again!) for adding this story to your favorites, following it, and reviewing it! It really makes me happy :D**

 **Seriously, it really does.**

 **I hope you like this chapter and please review!**


	12. Chapter Twelve

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MIRACULOUS LADYBUG OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**

* * *

As a child, Marinette had thought she had planned out her future really well.

The first one, was to become a world-famous fashion designer and have her own fashion brand. She really, really did her best to learn what she could through the internet, through watching shows, and through personal experiences. She would probably become an intern for one of the companies like Gabriel, and learn what she could.

The second one, was to become a hero known as Ladybug. Little Marinette loved superheroes a lot. She even went to the point of training martial arts just for that and became her master's best student. Why "Ladybug?" Well, it's because Little Marinette wanted to create a world that was safe for everyone, and ladybugs were known for their good luck. Plus, red looked good on her.

Third, was to help everyone. This was because of the child-friendly movies Marinette had seen. The principle of helping others, especially when they are in need, had become a part of her. She even went to the point of helping her scary classmates, who weren't really scary, but rather, misunderstood.

Little Marinette really thought she planned it out really well.

She really did.

She thought these three were enough.

But then, she met Sunshine Kid.

Sunshine Kid, without Little Marinette realizing it, had become her crush.

(It's not her fault though, whenever she went to school she never bothered asking what a crush was and had always thought it refers to a person who got burned by savagery or beaten up.)

But yeah, Little Marinette was totally admiring Sunshine Kid.

He was so cute... and he _puns_! Little Marinette always did have a soft spot for people who punned a lot because of her dad.

Before Little Marinette knew it, after that training experience, she started making gifts for him every anniversary of their meeting.

Because that was Marinette's fourth secret goal and not even her parents knew of it.

To meet Sunshine Kid again someday.

This time, learn his name, and basically, get know him better. Ask him how he was and make him feel happiness.

Sadly, Little Marinette had a problem.

As the years went by, Sunshine Kid's face became harder and harder to remember.

All she could remember were his very noticeable features. His hair, which reminded Little Marinette of the sun. His eyes, its irises the most beautiful shade of green Little Marinette's ever seen.

It saddened the girl, because she was afraid to even think about the possibilty that one day, the boy she once met for real, will only meet her as a product of her imagination.

And yet, here he was now.

In front of her.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng, once known as Ladybug, a brave and confident girl in the forest, was staring at the object Adrien was holding.

Or rather, her Sunshine Kid was holding.

Marinette felt like seeing Adrien for the first time again. His hair, was the same shade that Sunshine Kid had. His eyes, were the same color Marinette admired before.

Suddenly, everything felt... different.

"This? Oh, this was given to me by a beautiful girl when I was a kid. Oh you should have met her Marinette. She was very brave and confident. She was amazing and she was blah, blah, blah.." Adrien continued to

babble on.

Just hearing Adrien describe her, Marinette wanted to cry.

Because it was obvious that Adrien _likes_ her-Ladybug-a lot.

And Ladybug-who is Marinette-likes someone else.

As much as Marinette wants to tell him who she really was, Marinette couldn't.

It could complicate things. It could destroy the light in Adrien's eyes.

Adrien, who lost his mother before. Adrien, who was home-schooled the previous years. Adrien, who had to eat salad, which he didn't like very much. Adrien, who worked hard to please his father.

Marinette wanted to tell him, because if she did, she'd have to friend-zone him. It was obvious that Adrien liked her for years.

Meanwhile, Marinette, she only saw him as a friend now. Not like before, when she used to like him a lot.

Plus, that would ruin the fourth and fifth plan.

The fifth goal, which was recently added to Marinette's list of plans.

Confess her feelings to Chat Noir.

Marinette went and started overthinking. If she confessed to Chat Noir, would that mean she's betraying Adrien? If I tell Adrien, would he take the chance to court me? I love Chat, but Adrien loves Ladybug. What should I do?

"-Nathalie told me she was a product of my imagination but I wouldn't believe it-"

"M-maybe she is."

Adrien paused, his eyes widened in surprise at Marinette's words.

Marinette found herself saying, "I-I mean, you w-were in the forest, alone. Y-you were in despair, Adrien. L-Ladybug could've easily been a product of your i-imagination."

What was she saying?!

"That's not true Marinette," Adrien was awfully calm about this, as if he's heard her claim a lot, "I have the umbrella Ladybug gave to me. That's proof Ladybug _did_ exist."

"Adrien, you were h-hallucinating someone who didn't exist, out of...out of loneliness. That umbrella could've easily been lying around there somewhere... and your mind just gave you the illusion of someone giving it to you. If...If she did exist, why didn't she come to meet you? After all you are famous all over Paris."

"Marinette, please stop."

The party didn't look as lively and welcoming as it was before.

Heading home, in Adrien's car was not that much of a great feeling as it was a while ago. It was quiet.

Marinette felt awful and guilty by what she did.

And Adrien... Adrien was starting to think maybe Marinette was right.

* * *

 **I've miraculously updated again.**

 **Yay.**

 **I'm so sorry if you guys waited for far too long, I've been with stuff for a while and thankfully, that "stuff" is nearly finished.**

 **Thank you for the patience and I hope you guys liked this chapter. Please review!**


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MIRACULOUS LADYBUG OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

* * *

"You are _not_ Adrien" was the first thing Adrien heard when he woke up that morning.

Adrien would like to say that he'd seen and experienced a lot of weird things in his life. Like, what are the odds that you'd meet a girl with a Ladybug-Kung fu-thingy theme going on in the middle of the forest, which, by the way, was miles away from Adrien's house. Or the odds of running from your father because you were somehow being " _overly dramatic"_ as some of the media critics put it because you didn't want to get involved in an engagement with someone whom you've barely known.

Adrien would really like to say that. He really did. Except, what he was seeing right now was probably the weirdest one he'd seen in his entire life.

Well, except for when watching anime, he'd seen a lot of this stuff in anime. But in real life? That's another story.

It was a floating cat. Or what seemed like one.

"Are you a genie?" he asked the cat-thingy-whatever. "Also, how'd you get in my room?"

The creature huffed. It was probably baffled over the fact that Adrien wasn't panicking. Well, Adrien's seen a lot of anime so...

"I'm a kwami," the creature answers. "and _that_ is probably what I should be asking _you._ "

 _'Okay, so he's a kwami.'_ Adrien thought. ' _What's a 'kwami?''_

"Kid," the kwami grabs Adrien's attention. His tone and voice sounded _awfully_ familiar. "You're not from around here aren't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Adrien replied, because, well, this was obviously his room.

"Do you know who I am?" The black cat-like _kwami_ asks him.

Adrien shook his head.

The creature sighs and mumbled something under his breath. Finally, he looks at Adrien, who's still lying on his bed.

"I'm Plagg."

It took an amount of two minutes of silence before Plagg's words sunk in. When it finally did, Adrien laughed, while the creature just rolled his eyes and ate his slice of camembert ( _Where did he get that?)_.

When Adrien finally managed to get back to his senses, he gave _"Plagg_ " a serious look. "Look, either I'm dreaming or I'm magically transported to some alternate universe." He told the creature.

"Jeez, i have to tell this to Tikki." The kwami muttered. "Yeah, you might be, kid."

 _"Am I a joke to you?"_ Adrien wanted to say to the guy, but considering he was talking to a creature that he'd only seen existing in anime, AU travel didn't seem far-fetched.

"I'm guessing my 'alternate self' is human in your world?" Plagg asked thee boy, who was still staring off into space while processing what's currently happening.

"Yeah."

"Does he like camembert?"

"Yeah."

Plagg hummed happily. _'Good, I'm still faithful to my dear camembert.'_ He thought as he ate the rest of his camembert.

"But how?" Adrien asked as the kwami ate. "How did I ended up here?"

The kwami ate the last of his cheese and sighed. It's going to be a loooong morning.

* * *

"So apparently, here, I'm a hero-"

"Yes."

"-Who's name is Chat Noir-"

"Yes."

"-Who got hit by this akuma-thingy Gateway guy yesterday-"

"Yep."

"-While protecting his partner who's name is _Ladybug-_ "

"Ye-why'd you emphasized Ladybug?"

"Because Plagg, _Ladybug!"_ Adrien squealed like an excited little girl.

"Oh no, of all the alternate selves the multiverse has they _had to_ choose one of those love-sicked ones." Plagg muttered with a fake look of horror.

"Face it Plagg, whatever universe, I'll always be in love with Ladybug." Adrien says confidently.

"Not really." Plagg mumbles.

 _"Adrien, you'll be late for school."_

Adrien smiled after hearing those words. Although he might like Plagg as Father's temporary assistant back at home, he still missed Nathalie, who was always there for him as his organized and trusting assistant.

"Okay!"

Adrien left Plagg on his bed and started preparing for school. As he prepared, he noticed a bunch of pictures that were somehow hidden inside this world's Adrien's closet.

' _It must be pictures of Ladybug.'_ Adrien thought. He couldn't wait to see this world's version of Ladybug, who was nearly the same age as him now in this world.

' _Wait a minute'_ he thought again as he took a closer look at the images. "Plagg," the kwami was right there beside him in a blink of an eye. "Why does this world's version of me have pictures of Marinette in a skin-tight Ladybug suit?"

* * *

The way to school had never been stressful as it had been right now in Adrien's opinion. Mainly because:

 **Reason no.#1** \- He had to pretend to be this world's Adrien.

 **Reason no.#2 -** Apparently, this world's Gabriel Agreste is like his father but five times colder.

 **Reason no.#3 -** Ladybug is Marinette. Marinette is Ladybug. So basically, if he's right, Ladybug, his friend from the past, is actually his friend Marinette, in his world.

He was early, thank goodness, when he arrived. He proceeded to the classroom, where he found Nino and Alya and a bunch of his classmates, who he's all familiar with, were chatting.

"Hey my dude." Nino waved.

"Hi Nino." Adrien greeted as he proceeded to his seat. "Hey Alya."

The reporter waved back. "Did you hear that the akuma escaped LB and CN yesterday?" She asked Adrien excitedly.

Wow, seems like the Alya of this world's really enthusiastic about heroes.

"Alya, we know, you reported it," Nino deadpanned.

And also a bit like Lois Lane.

"Really?" Adrien asked, wanting to hear a bit about how Alya managed to report it.

"It was so not cool dude, " Nino explained with a worried look. "She almost got hit by debris and stuff."

"Oh relax Nino, I was perfectly fine." Alya said nonchalantly.

"I'm your boyfriend and I'm not okay with it."

Adrien found the two sweet. He wished he could achieve a relationship like that someday. He also found himself the third wheel of this relationship.

That was when Adrien swore he heard a loud screech in the distance, before he almost blacked out by what seemed like someone crushing his neck.

"ADRIKINS!"

Adrien was thankful his version of Chloe wasn't this...wild.

"Need...air..." he managed to say.

"Let him go Chloe," Alya said as she stood from her seat. "He needs to breathe."

"You're not the boss of me, woman." Chloe said arrogantly. "He is mine."

Was this how Adrien's life is going to end? At the arms of another version of Chloe? He still wanted to do a lot of things in life. He wanted to experience having a love life, having a wife, and building a family. He wanted to graduate and go to an island-

"Let him go, Chloe." A confident voice broke his thoughts.

It was a voice he was so familiar with. A voice that he heard everytime he went to visit her as Chat Noir. It was a voice he didn't realize he'd missed so much.

It was Marinette's voice.

"And what are you gonna do about it, Dupain-Cheng?" Chloe asked daringly, not letting go of the poor boy.

"Please...listen to Marinette, Chloe, I...can't... breathe..."

Chloe huffed, but obliged and went to her seat.

Marinette went to her seat as well, which happened to be behind Adrien's. The boy turned around and smiled warmly at Marinette. So this was Ladybug huh? "Thank you, Marinette."

The girl, who was seemed super strong and confident a moment ago, seemed to be having trouble with her words and blushing as she said, "Problem.. Adrien...I-I MEAN.. N-no problem, A-Adrien."

Adrien curiously wondered what was with the stuttering as he turned around to face the front. He hear Alya say something along the lines of, "You finally did it!" to Marinette.

Huh, did Marinette have a crush on him in this world?... Or is he just over-thinking?

* * *

Lunch went by and they decided to eat at the cafeteria together. Adrien was very happy that this world and his only had a few differences. He was glad he can still talk to them and not pretend that he "wasn't in the mood" or anything.

The four decided to sit in one table. It was a bit sad though because as much of an opportunity it was to run away from his diet plan, his friends were still watching him, so he had no choice but to eat the awful thing known as salad.

"Hey dude, want a chicken?" He offered one, which was the crispiest, delicious-smelling Adrien's ever seen before, but sadly, "No thanks, chicken is not my style."

The three gave him a bewildered look. "Seriously?" Alya said. "I need to have a word with your papa dear."

"Last time someone did that they turned into the Bubbler."

"Don't remind me, Marinette." A certain DJ added. "Jeez, I'd never suspect Hawkmoth as a fashion designer."

Adrien had no idea what they were talking about. But he did know that this Hawkmoth guy was the villain who caused the hakuna matata or whatever. Oh, right about heroes...

"Hey Marinette," their conversation stopped as Adrien called her attention. "Who do you think is better? Ladybug or Chat Noir?"

Alya gave him a horrified expression. "How could you ask such a question, Agreste? Do you want a war or something?"

"I think Chat Noir's better." Marinette answered firmly. "Without him, Ladybug wouldn't be able to handle the threats. Besides, without Chat Noir, we probably wouldn't have the Ladybug that we have right now."

"It's like, Ladybug draws strength from him. They're partners. Two halves of a whole." Alya sighed dreamily before she drank her orange juice.

"My girl ships LadyNoir so much." Nino whispered to Adrien. "Yesterday she told me about this fan fiction she's been planning to write. Apparently she's been planning a LadyNoir AU."

"Why are you telling me this?" Adrien whispered back to Nino. Seriously, he was also curious about that.

Nino gave him a puzzled look. "Don't you read LadyNoir fanfics though?"

 _He does?_ Adrien wonders why if his other self really really _liked_ Ladybug that hard, then why did he seem oblivious to the fact that he hadn't realized that Marinette, who is sitting behind him all this time in class, is Ladybug.

The signs were there already. His other self is just an oblivious idiot.

They continued their conversation about who was much better between Ladybug and Chat Noir.

That was also when the hakuna matata decided to attack and broke down the roof of the cafeteria.

* * *

"You are not going." Plagg hissed at Adrien, who was giving him a pleading look.

Adrien was currently hiding inside one of the cubicles in the bathroom. When the hakuna matata attacked, both Nino and Alya got separated from Marinette and Adrien. Nino had followed Alya due to the reporter's instincts kicking in and the desire for a scoop. Meanwhile, Marinette, unbeknownst to her, was followed by Adrien as she ran towards the female restroom. The boy, being the gentleman he was, went to the male restroom instead.

"Besides, you may be Adrien, but you don't have his ring _or_ any magic inside of you." Plagg explained.

Adrien sighed. The kwami had explained earlier about that. Apparently for the miraculous thingy to work, he needed the miraculous, which was a ring. He, also, according to Plagg, needed to possess magic inside him, which, sadly, he _also_ did not have.

"But isn't love the greatest magic of all?" He tried, hoping the kwami would agree.

Unfortunately, Plagg was not the right kwami to suggest that to. "Yuck! That's too cheesy." He said with a look of disgust in his face.

The ground suddenly shook, nearly making Adrien lose his balance. But someone has to help Ladybug right? Chat Noir was supposed to be the heroine's partner.

"Stay. Here." The kwami ordered, seemingly hearing Adrien's internal turmoil. The kwami then took off to the battlefield.

As much as Adrien would like to disregard the kwami's orders, he had no choice but to follow.

Although this world is similar to his, he didn't know this world well enough and how it works unlike his other self. Back at home, they didn't have superheroes and villains. They only had the police and criminals. His world also does not have beings like kwamis, but it does have Plagg, who's human. Adrien was actually thankful that he ended up with a human Plagg in his world. At least that way, he didn't have to smell like stinky cheese every second.

Adrien wondered when his other self met Ladybug and how he had fallen for her, what he thought of Marinette, and how the other Adrien lived his life with a superhero secret.

 _'Dear Neptune,'_ he thought, hoping it wasn't true. ' _if other me thinks of Marinette as 'just a friend' I swear-'_

Another rumble.

A few minutes later, he heard someone shout a "Miraculous Ladybug!" and ladybugs suddenly came out of nowhere.

So this was Ladybug's ability? Cool.

Also, thank goodness the restroom wasn't destroyed.

He got out of the cubicle and was planning to get out of thee room to look for Plagg when the kwami decided to phase through the door and give him quite a scare. "I'm baack~" The creature announced happily. His whole face lit up when he saw Adrien. "Oh goodie, you're still here. You know, you're a much more obedient boy than my Adrien. Anyway, Ladybug finally knew what happened to Chat Noir and she's worried about him, but I told her he'd be back tomorrow since, y'know, the switch thingy happened while you guys were asleep. Also, kid, give me camembert."

Was Plagg having mood swings? "You know, you seem awfully happy right now." Adrien pointed out, looking at Plagg's happy face.

"Oh it's just that I saw Sugar Cube again." The kwami sighed dreamily. Then, his face went all serious. "My cheese. I want my cheese."

Adrien gave him a slice of his beloved cheese, which he got from his pocket. The kwami swallowed the whole thing.

* * *

Waiting for the Gorilla was like waiting for a game, which required internet connection, to finish loading in Adrien's opinion.

In Adrien's case today, the internet connection was too slow.

He had no choice but to wait while the rain poured from the clouds above. Most of the students were already gone, aside from a few who had after-classes and clubs. He was itching to get his other self's phone from his pocket to play a game while waiting, but he can't due to the fact that although he might still be Adrien, he wasn't the phone's owner (just another version of him anyway) and that he respected Other Adrien's privacy.

He stood there at the front doors of the building. Just waiting and listening to the splashes of the rain.

"A-Adrien," he turned his head over and saw Marinette, carrying her backpack on her back, an umbrella held by her hand. The girl waved shyly. "H-hey."

Adrien beamed. "Hi Marinette." He said as the girl stood beside him.

Trying to be as unnoticeable as ever, he glanced at Marinette quickly. The girl seemed to be thinking hard. As she did that, Adrien took a good look on her eyes.

It was the same bluebell eyes he had always adored.

Everything about this Marinette right now screamed, "Ladybug!" to Adrien. Why and how did he not see this before with his Marinette?

 _'Simple,'_ a voice which awfully sounded like Plagg filled his mind. _'You liked Ladybug too hard to notice the things about Marinette.'_

"A-Adrien," the girl said, capturing his attention. "I need you to listen to me. J-Just listen to me first, okay?" She asked with a pleading look as she looked at his eyes directly.

The rain finally ended, but the nervousness inside Adrien was just starting.

Oh no, is she... is she going to confess? Right now? As much as Adrien wanted to hear this Marinette's profession of adoration and love for Adrien Agreste, he still wasn't the Adrien this Marinette fell for. He did not have any right to listen to any of this.

Taking the silence as a "yes," Marinette began. "I-"

 _Beep! Beep!_

Oh thank goodness! Adrien had never been happier to hear that car horn.

Marinette took that as a sign that now was not the time. "Umm, never mind!" She squeaked. "Bye Adrien!" Then she rushed towards her family's bakery, her feet splashing as she ran through puddles of water.

Adrien sighed in relief as she watched her go before heading to the car.

* * *

That night, as Adrien laid down in his bed, he thought about things.

Things which refer to what happened between him and his Marinette recently.

 _"-Nathalie told me she was a product of my imagination but I wouldn't believe it-"_

 _"M-maybe she is."_

 _Adrien paused, his eyes widened in surprise at Marinette's words._

 _"I-I mean, you w-were in the forest, alone. Y-you were in despair, Adrien. L-Ladybug could've easily been a product of your i-imagination."_

 _"That's not true Marinette. I have the umbrella Ladybug gave to me. That's proof Ladybug did exist."_

 _"Adrien, you were h-hallucinating someone who didn't exist, out of...out of loneliness. That umbrella could've easily been lying around there somewhere... and your mind just gave you the illusion of someone giving it to you. If...If she did exist, why didn't she come to meet you? After all you are famous all over Paris."_

 _"Marinette, please stop."_

Adrien felt like he was being stabbed by a knife when he heard Marinette's words that time. After all, after what he and Marinette had been through, how could she tell him that?

But he couldn't show that. He had no right as Adrien, who only met Marinette during one of his photoshoots.

He also didn't have a right as Chat, because Marinette barely knew anything about Chat aside from his hobbies and interests.

And Marinette didn't know that Adrien and Chat were one and same.

So why did Marinette tell him that? Just... why?

 _"That was hilarious!"_

 _"Shut up you dumb cat!"_

 _"Okay, okay. So you told everyone, that you like this boy, who's certainly 'just a classmate' because you didn't want to tell them that you like another guy?"_

Wait...

Did Marinette tell him all of that because she-

"PLAGG!" Adrien shouted, shocking the kwami who was dozing off somewhere.

"What?" The kwami approached him with irritation.

"Adrien, _this world's Adrien,_ likes Ladybug, right?"

"Mhmm."

"And Marinette, _this world's Marinette,_ likes Adrien."

"Hmm."

"So did Chat Noir and Marinette meet before?"

"Mhmm."

"And Ladybug and Adrien?"

"Mhmm."

"It's a love square!"

"Congratulations kid. Here, have a cookie." Plagg said in a bored tone.

"So that's another difference our worlds have." Adrien thought aloud. "In mine, Marinette fell for Chat, but here, Marinette fell for Adrien."

This is so weird.

"What I would give to let you share a couple of your brain cells to my Adrien." Plagg mumbles and returns back to sleep.

Meanwhile, Adrien happily waited for sleep to take over him, because once he returns home, he'll tell Marinette everything and un-complicate things for the both of them.

* * *

The next morning, Adrien was awakened by a cat's meow.

By cat, he meant Plagg.

"Meow, Meow wake up kid. Meow, meow." the man said lazily from his lying position in the sofa.

Adrien sat from his bed and stretched his arms. "Ugh, what happened yesterday?" He asked the man as he rubbed his eyes.

"Jeez kid, you don't remember? Did you hit your head or something? Weird. Yeah, you probably did hit your head." The man said as he placed a slice of camembert in his mouth. "You started panicking like crazy when you saw me. You didn't even believe me when I told you my name."

"I did?"

Plagg stood up from his seat. "Yes, you did. Now get up and get ready for school." He told him before leaving the boy alone in his room.

Adrien remained sitting down for a few seconds before getting up and preparing himself. As he hurried over to his desk to gather his things, he saw a folded paper at the table with he words: _'To Adrien'_ written in his handwriting.

 _'Weird, I don't remember writing this...'_ he trailed off as he unfolded the paper and read:

 _Dear Adrien,_

 _Although you might not remember writing this, you certainly did yesterday and your handwriting is a proof of that._

 _I'll go directly to my reason for writing this: Marinette told you that she was sorry about what happened the other night._

 _I know it might be stupid that this the only reason I have for writing this, but "Sorry" can mean a lot to a person and Marinette was truly genuine about it._

 _Please, think about it._

It was like the letter was made in a hurry or something.

Remembering what happened the other night was making Adrien feel slightly hurt and sad.

 _Slightly?_ Weird, it didn't hurt as much as before now.

He felt his heart beat faster as he once again read the letter and saw Marinette's name.

He decided he'll forgive her, because Marinette was one of the most important persons to him and because she was his partner.

* * *

 **Yessssssss I did it.**

 **Anyway, I just watched Avengers: Endgame and I... don't want to spoil anything :)**

 **Thank you for the patience and understanding. I'm sorry for the grammar errors too.**

 **I hope you guys liked it and please review :)**


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MIRACULOUS LADYBUG OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

* * *

 _"Two households, both alike in dignity_

 _(In fair Verona, where we lay our scene),_

 _From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,_

 _Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean._

 _From forth the fatal loins of these two foes..."_

Marinette sighed. This was difficult. Too difficult.

Marinette slumped her head on the desk table in defeat as she barely understood what the words meant. Apparently two families have a bad history and can't get along until now? Was that it? Okay, maybe that was it.

Goodness, she was going to fail Ms. Bustier's class at this point.

Marinette was inside her room on a Wednesday morning. Classes had been cancelled due to the rainy weather that morning, which was funny, because after that, no more rain came after. That didn't leave the fact that they still have a few tasks to accomplish for classes.

Her eyes trailed off to one of her posters of Adrien, her classmate. Also, he was the Sunshine Kid.

Remembering this, Marinette's mind wandered off to what happened yesterday, which was just pure weirdness. Adrien had been acting... out of character. he acted as if nothing happened between him and Marinette that night, casually saying "hi" to her and sitting beside Nino and chatting with the guy about what kind of superhero was his type.

Not that Marinette had been eavesdropping, she was just sketching on her sketchbook and the two were chatting loud enough for her to hear. But in Marinette's opinion, a good and bad luck-themed superhero duo would be superior to all heroes.

Then, lunch came. As the group walked towards the cafeteria, both Nino and Alya led the group as they strolled. Marinette and Adrien following behind. The girl caught Adrien stealing glances at her.

Okay, Adrien was definitely not okay with her. Not like she was okay with herself anyway.

"You're not stuttering." Adrien blurted out of nowhere as they approached the cafeteria's doors.

"Excuse me?" Marinette said with a baffled look. "Why would I even stutter in the first place?"

"I don't know," Adrien shrugged. "It just seemed... like you to do that... I guess."

What the actual what?

Oh, you thought Adrien couldn't get any weirder than that? Wait 'till you saw him giving Chloe a mystified look later that day.

"Huh, Chloe's not attacking me." Adrien murmured as he watched Chloe talk to Sabrina about her new hairpin.

Which, by the way, Marinette had heard.

Marinette found it odd why she was the only person to notice these things about Adrien.

Then again, she was feeling guilty, so it might be just that.

By the end of the day, Marinette had enough. She was going to apologize to the boy, so Adrien can return to his usual self.

It had started raining outside, but Marinette didn't bother. She looked for Adrien at every corner of the school and asked other students if they knew where he was.

"Oh, Adrien Agreste? I saw him waiting by the entrance."

Well, she _might_ not have searched every corner.

"ADRIEN!" She shouted while running towards him. The boy turned to her direction and gave a small wave, his eyes never leaving her as she reached him.

"I'm...I wanted to say...I...ugh...I'm tired." Marinette said as she panted.

Adrien blinked. "Umm, okay. Do you want some water? I can get a bottle for y-"

"NO!" Marinette yelled, looking alarmed. _'No way, after what you did to me? No, I won't let you go this time.'_ She held onto his arm for good measure.

The girl finally got a hold of herself and stood up with an air of confidence. "Adrien," she began. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry."

Adrien blinked.

Marinette took this as a sign to continue. "What happened the other night? I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't have said those things." She said. "I don't have any excuse to say right now, but, maybe someday, you'll understand." She said, looking at him straight in the eye.

Adrien blinked, _again._ Then, he smiled, patted Marinette's shoulder, and left as his car horn continued to make noises in the distance.

Was that an apology accepted or not?

Marinette moaned. She needed someone to talk to. Unfortunately, Chat was nowhere to be found and Alya was busy babysitting.

 _"Marinette, dear, can you handle the bakery for a while? Your father and I have errands to run."_

"Okay Mom!" Marinette replied as she jumped from her seat and headed downstairs.

* * *

Handling the bakery was one of Marinette's responsibilities as the daughter of a baker. Her chores include:

-Helping out in the cashier

-Helping out in decoration

-Baking itself

-Cleaning

-Endorsing

-Designing the logo

-and suggesting ideas etc.

Most teenagers would complain, but Marinette doesn't. She loves what she does.

She also loves seeing the happy faces of the customers as they buy pastries.

This customer in particular though, was... different.

The customer was a woman. She was a lady who seemed to be in her twenties with shoulder-length bright red hair that was kept neatly out of her face by a thick black headband. She had pretty dark blue eyes that reminded Marinette of the color of her own hair. The woman was wearing a red polka-dotted dress that reached up to her knees and black doll shoes.

She also ordered a large batch of chocolate cookies, which could fill two buckets.

"Here you go ma'am!" Marinette said with a bright smile as she handed over the boxes which were filled with the finest Dupain-Cheng-baked cookies.

"Thank you!" The woman chirped, giving Marinette the most innocent smile she had ever witnessed from another woman.

The woman paid the amount for her cookies and was about to leave when...

 _"Marinette, sweetie? We're home!"_ Marinette's mother announced as she and Tom entered from the back door.

"Okay Maman!" Marinette replied back.

The woman stopped and turned around, facing Marinette once more and approaching her.

"You wouldn't happen to be _Marinette Dupain-Cheng,_ would you?" The woman asked her with a curious expression.

"Umm, that's me." Marinette said nervously, because random strangers just don't ask her that.

That was when the woman squealed and looked at her happily. "Oh you've grown!"

"I did?" was the girl's reply to this.

"What's going on out there?" Tom asked as he approached the counter. His eyes widened at the sight of the woman. "Oh Tikki! Finally visiting Paris, eh?"

The woman's smile brightened even more if possible, while Marinette was just plain confused with whatever's going on. "Mr. Dupain-Cheng! It's nice to see you again!"

"Is that Tikki I hear?" Sabine asked as she followed her husband towards the counter. "My dear, you still like cookies don't you?"

"Yours are still the best, Mrs. Cheng." Tikki said.

"Umm, Maman, Papa, who is she?" Marinette asked, because she's just weirded out by what's happening right now.

"Oh dear, you were too young when you met her once." Tom answered. "She's Tikki, a friend of Master Fu's. She's also the one who suggested to us back then to let you train under him."

Marinette looked at Tikki and she nodded in confirmation, her smile never leaving her face. "Master Fu's told me a lot of great things about your training, Marinette." She told her.

"Wait, is Master Fu here in Paris?" Marinette asked excitedly. "Right now?"

"He's here but he doesn't do martial arts training anymore." The woman answered. "He only works as a healer right now."

"Oh." Marinette said. ' _At least I can still visit him though.'_

"Would you like to stay for lunch, Tikki?" Sabine invited, but Tikki politely declined. She said she still has to visit a friend of hers and make sure he isn't causing any trouble.

* * *

CHAT _FINALLY_ MAKES AN APPEARANCE.

Thank goodness.

Marinette was getting worried. Too worried, in fact.

How could she not? The boy had been missing for days.

Chat appeared while Marinette was at the Louvre Museum. The girl had been looking for inspiration for her dress design when the cat appeared out of nowhere. She was sitting in one of the benches inside the museum, not minding as Parisians and tourists walked by to explore the museum.

"Heya there, Princess." Chat acknowledged as he positioned himself beside her. "Whatcha doing?"

Marinette paid him zero attention, choosing to focus on her sketch rather than the boy.

"Earth to Princess," Chat said, waving a hand in front of her face. "Hello? Is Princess there?"

Ugh, why can't she resist this?

"What?" she said in an annoyed manner.

"Is Purrincess mad?" The catboy asked her with a cute ( _Don't tell him she thought that.)_ look.

"No, _Princess_ just didn't hear Chat the first time. She isn't _'mad.'"_ Cue her hand making quotation mark gestures as she rolled her eyes.

Chat pouted. "What'd I do?"

"Secret."

"Please tell me, Princess. Pleaseeeee."

"Now, now, Kitty. It wouldn't be a secret if I tell you now, would it?"

Chat huffed, a sign that he wasn't going to fight for the knowledge of "the secret."

Marinette smiled, her previous feeling dissipating. She ruffled Chat's already messy hair which caused him to let out a sound she didn't know he could actually make.

Chat's eyes widened and met Marinette's surprised ones.

"Did you just _purr?_ " Marinette questioned.

"N-n-no!" Chat replied, looking at anywhere but her.

Marinette giggled. "You did!" She exclaimed. Oh, she was _so_ going to tease Chat about this.

The two had an entire conversation about Chat's purring, forgetting that they were in a museum.

They were reminded of that when an art critic told them to be quiet.

* * *

"So Princess, I heard something went between you and that Agreste guy?" Chat asked her after they left the museum. They decided to head for Pont des Arts, a pedestrian bridge crossing the River Seine so that they could watch the sunset together.

"Ahh, that." _Alya must've told him._ "It's nothing." She said with a sheepish grin.

"Really?" Chat asked, eyebrow raised.

"Well..." and that was when he told Chat everything from that night to yesterday.

Except for the part and details regarding to Adrien being the Sunshine Kid.

After telling him all of this, Chat was in deep thought for a moment as they walked.

His moment of deep thought though was interrupted by a man singing as they neared the bridge.

"Hey!" Marinette exclaimed happily, grabbing Chat's hand and pulling him towards the man singing, who turned out to be André, the ice cream vendor.

"Want me to treat you, Chat?" Marinette asked the boy.

André had been the talk of Marinette's class lately. Marinette forgot some details about it, but apparently the ice creams he sell were special. The ice cream vendor was also involved in her parents' love story.

"Well I won't deny this wonderful offer." Chat said with a grin.

As the two approached the ice cream vendor, the man noticed them. "My, my, what do we have here? A new couple has arrived! And what are your names, my dears?"

Both Marinette and Chat stuttered at that, both laughing nervously as they scratched the back of their necks.

"W-we-re n-not a c-c-couple!" Marinette denied at the same time as Chat said, "W-w-we're n-not!"

The ice cream vendor laughed at that but decided to give them their ice creams. "For you, dear girl, red cherry like his lips topped with mint green like his eyes." He said as he handed out the ice cream to Marinette. Then, he turned to Chat, "And for you, dear boy, strawberry with dark chocolate, blackberry for her hair, and blueberry for her ocean blue eyes." He said, giving Chat his ice cream.

Marinette was about to get her wallet when André stopped her. "It's on the house." He said with a smile.

They both thanked the man and sat on a nearby bench, watching the beautiful sunset as they ate their ice cream.

"So, what are the chances that we just got ice cream from the ice cream man of lovers?" Chat started as they ate. "I got you, while you got me, Princess."

"Really?" Marinette said with a playful look. "I don't seem to recall wearing any red though." _Except for my training days,_ she silently added.

Chat winked. "Maybe on our first date, you will."

Marinette willed herself to avoid blushing. "Well, how are you certain I got you, Kitty?"

"I don't wear this hoodie all the time you know," He said after eating a bit of his ice cream. "I look good in light colors too."

"I think I like you better in that."

Chat Noir hummed in agreement and afterwards gestured towards the sunset. "It's so beautiful..."

Marinette agreed, it truly was a wonderful sight.

* * *

"Why are we stalking them again?" A voice asked as his partner watched the scene from where they were.

"Shh, we're not stalking them, we're just seeing where this goes." His partner said as she ate her cookie.

"I thought you came here to see me Sugar Cube," Plagg pouted.

"Stop calling me that." Tikki whispered to him. "But I really did came to see if you were causing trouble again." She added.

"Me? Trouble?" Plagg said with a look of disbelief. "Never!"

Tikki rolled her eyes and went back to watching as Marinette and Adrien watched the sunset together. "How come she doesn't realize that he's Adrien?"

Plagg shrugged as he took out a camembert slice from his pocket and ate it.

"Ooh!," Tikki said excitedly. "Plagg, I can't wait to learn where their love story goes! I wonder what happens when she finds out they're the same guy."

Plagg just smiled at her as he chewed his camembert.

 _"I wonder where our story goes too, Sugar Cube."_

* * *

 **Your reviews give me life :D Thank you so much for the reviews, even though I've read it already, it still makes me happy :D**

 **Also, I apologize for the grammatical errors.**

 **I've been thinking about something regarding the future chapters _(I've been thinking about this since the beginning, actually)_ , not sure if I should still add it or not. But yeah, if I do, well, prepare yourselves ;)**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter and please review!**


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MIRACULOUS LADYBUG OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**

* * *

Chapter Fifteen

* * *

Adrien found himself inside a dark room. No windows, no doors, just... walls. Adrien had never felt so small before. He'd never felt this frightened.

He couldn't see anything. He couldn't move. He felt suffocated. Out of breath. He was held by ropes.

Adrien was tied into a chair.

Why was he here? Adrien can't help but wonder. How did he get here?

Where was Mother and Father? Shouldn't they be here by now? Where are they?

"Father!" Adrien screamed with all his might. "Mother!" He tried wiggling out of the ropes. No use. He felt tears falling down his cheeks. They couldn't leave him. They wouldn't. They said they care for him. That they love him.

 _So where are they?_

 **BANG. BANG. BANG.**

What was that?

 **BANG. BANG. BANG.**

Adrien felt his heart beating faster. He has to get out here now.

 **BANG. BANG. BA-**

 _ **RIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGG**_

 _"Kid, wake up!"_

 _ **RIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGG**_

"Kid!"

"I'm up. I'm up." Adrien said as he pushed the man out of his bed as he sat down and groggily rubbed his eyes. He gave Plagg an annoyed glare. "Can you turn that thing off?"

The man let out an annoyed sound but paused the ringing sound from his phone. "I can't help it kid. You were sweating and shaking your head a lot. I just had to."

"I did?" Adrien wondered. It was probably a nightmare. The last time he had one was years ago. At least his reactions were not as it was back then.

Plagg nodded. Then he proceeded to opening the window of Adrien's large room, letting in the fresh breeze. "Anyway, you need to prepare for breakfast. After that, boss says you have fencing practice with a Kaname or...something... what's her name again? Jeez, I forgot. Sorry, kid." the man said, grabbing a camembert slice from his pocket and shooting all the stuff in his mouth.

Adrien pinched his nose as the smell of the disgusting cheese nearly filled it. "It's Kagami, Plagg, and you know? The window's already open and I can still smell that stuff."

"You just don't know how to appreciate true exquisite taste when you see it, kid."

"Uhuh."

* * *

Kagami was probably the most skilled fencer Adrien had ever fought yet. The girl was a natural, and she obviously trained hard. It was amazing.

After their fencing matches, Adrien had changed to clothes which were more comfortable and decided to head out and wait by the entrance for the Gorilla.

As he got out of the boy's locker room, he saw Kagami waiting for him. The girl saw him and approached him.

"Yes, Kagami?" Adrien asked, wonder evident in his face.

"Would you like to join me for lunch?" Kagami asked.

"Sure." Adrien said with a smile. "I need to contact my assistant first though."

As he said that, he picked his phone from his pocket and called Plagg.

 _"Why'd you call me, kid?"_

"I just want to tell you to tell the Gorilla I'm heading out to lunch with a friend so he doesn't have to fetch me anymore."

 _"Sure, kid. Don't forget to buy me some camembert."_

"..."

 _"Kid?"_

"Fine."

Plagg thanked him by giving him praises like "Chat Noir, you're the best!" and "Have I ever told you how much I love you, kid?" before disconnecting.

"So," Adrien jumped at Kagami's voice. "Did your assistant agree?"

"Yeah..." Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. "Where do you want to eat?"

"If it's alright with you I'd like to walk there. I'd like to feel the cool breeze." Kagami stated. "Wherever you want will do. You are more familiar with Paris more than me anyway."

The restaurant Adrien decided they should go to had lots of good reviews. The critics stated that the food there was super delicious and the service was amazing. The staff was really well-mannered and went along well with their customers.

The stroll towards the place did not made make Adrien feel uncomfortable at all. They talked about fencing, which was a sport they both loved. They gave each other tips and advice based from watching each others' matches.

"Did you find her?" Kagami asked.

"Huh?" Was the wise words that Adrien's mouth released upon the sudden change of topic.

"Your Lady." Kagami continued. "I thought you were looking for her?"

They stopped as they approached the pedestrian crossing.

Did she mean Ladybug? "Uh, no. Why do you ask?"

"I think I saw her." Kagami said. "You said she had bluebell eyes right?"

Adrien nodded, although he really didn't tell Kagami about Ladybug's bluebell eyes. It must be Rene then. At Kagami's words, excitement filled him. "You did? Where?"

Kagami pointed towards the other side of the pedestrian crossing. Adrien's eyes followed towards where her finger was pointing.

It was pointing at Marinette, who was busy talking to a guy with medium-length black hair with dyed teal blue tips.

* * *

"Hey Adrien!" Marinette greeted with a glee as he and Kagami crossed to their side. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"Hi Marinette," Adrien waved. "Looks like you're shopping with a friend." He said, gesturing towards the two small brown shopping bags her friend was holding.

"Ah, these are for Kitty Section." Marinette explained to him.

"Kitty Section?"

"Rose's band. I volunteered to design the costumes." Marinette answered. Then, she must've noticed that due to their conversation, her friend and Kagami might have felt awkward. "Oh! By the way, this is my friend, Luka, Juleka's sister." She introduced to both Adrien and Kagami.

"I'm Kagami." Adrien's fencing match partner from a while ago said. "You must be 'His Lady.'"

Marinette blinked in confusion. Adrien just nudged Kagami and let out a nervous chuckle. "Nice to meet you Luka, I'm Adrien." He said, shaking the boy's hand.

"Likewise." Luka said with a smile.

"We were just about to eat lunch." Adrien stated. "Would you like to join us?" He asked the two.

* * *

Lunch had never felt so... weird.

The area the waitress gave them was a booth. After a few seconds of confusion on where and whom to sit with, they finally decided: Luka beside Kagami and Adrien beside Marinette.

The waiter gave them the menu and they all silently thought of which food was worth eating.

While these things were happening, Adrien covered his face with the menu, trying to be more subtle about it as possible and turned his head, his eyes gazing at Marinette's face.

He softly nudged at her leg under the table.

She was about to scold him when she saw him mouthing, "Do you think they think we're setting them up?"

Marinette laughed quietly. Thank goodness the other two were still buried in their menus.

"I don't know." Marinette mouthed back.

Kagami cleared her throat, gathering the three's attention. "Order anything you like," she said. "I'll pay for it."

* * *

"So you're into fencing like Adrien? Wow." Marinette said in awe towards Kagami.

"I'm also good at ice skating and archery."

"Kagami's going to study at Collège Françoise Dupont soon by the way." Adrien announced happily.

"That's great. I'm also going to study there soon." Luka said. "Hopefully we can see each other more soon."

"So about your band," Adrien asked Luka. "Who are the other members aside from Rose and you?'

"Juleka and Ivan." Luka answered. He sighed as he added, "We still lack one member for the keyboard."

"Why Adrien?" Marinette asked jokingly. "Are you interested in joining Kitty Section?"

"Well... I _can_ play the keyboard so..." Adrien trailed off. He then looked at Luka. "Can I?"

Luka nodded with a grin. "Rose will really like that. Practice starts on Saturday."

Adrien felt like he's living one of the typical teenage boy lives. From the movies he'd seen, teenage guys usually join bands either as the drummer or the guitarist. He felt happy being able to join one as a keyboardist. However, he can't help but worry what his father will think and about his schedule. Hopefully, Plagg will help him with that.

The group proceeded to eating as they chatted with each other. After finishing their meal, Marinette excused herself as she needed to go the restroom, Kagami, meanwile, said she'll come with her.

Adrien watched as the two disappeared into the crowd of bustling waiters.

Adrien would like to admit right now that he was _not_ the best in stirring up conversations with people. It was the result of spending a large amount of time at home and being home-schooled.

Luckily, Luka seemed to have picked up on this as he noticed Adrien, who never stopped drinking from his highball glass of orange juice, despite the fact that he'd drank the last of the orange juice, and was now, instead, drinking small amounts of water which melted from the ice.

"So," Luka started. Adrien braced himself. "Do you like Marinette?"

Adrien choked on his melted ice. He didn't brace himself enough.

* * *

 **Sorry for the wait, but I finally updated. Yay!**

 **I'm still affected by the Oni-chan episode ( _I can't believe~_ ) :(**

 **Hopefully we see another episode like Oblivio except without the Oblivio!Adrien and Oblivio!Marinette disappearing so that I don't have to spend my time healing myself with fanfics and thinking about "what if?" scenarios.**

 _ **I'm not saying this is one of the reasons why I take too long to update, but it kinda is so...**_

 **I hope you guys like this chapter. Please review and I hope you guys will have a great day or night!**


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MIRACULOUS LADYBUG OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS.**

* * *

Chapter Sixteen

* * *

Going back to their seats, Marinette immediately picked up on what seemed to have happened between Luka and Adrien. She'd dealt with enough of Alya's fangirling to know something was up.

Adrien and Luka radiated this...certain aura. Marinette wasn't sure which one, since she couldn't really get enough evidence with just merely the two boys looking at anywhere but each other.

Both were on their phones. Luka was looking at something over his phone which was probably related to Jagged Stone, and Adrien was looking at... wait, is he seriously watching a ten hour version of Armin screaming for ten hours in that episode in season one?

In Marinette's defense, it was Alya's fault she knew that.

Marinette went back to her seat as Kagami calmly asked the waiter for the bill.

She was about to open up a conversation to ruin the tension between the two when her phone dinged.

She took her phone from her purse and oh wow, it was Alya.

 _Volpina: Girl, change my contact name on your phone to Rena Rouge._ _  
_ _  
_ _Volpina: Also are you out with Adrien and Luka? Girl, ohoho, I didn't know you had it in you._

Okay, the question was quite bizarre in Marinette's opinion.

 _Marinette: I just changed your contact name to Volpina yesterday._ _  
_ _  
_ _Marinette: Fine._ _  
_ _  
_ _Marinette: Also, what?_

It took a few seconds for Marinette's phone to ring once again.

 _Rena Rouge: Don't bother hiding the truth, girl. I see you. I have eyes everywhere._

Ohhh she's definitely here alright. Marinette glanced around. Aha. There she is, outside.

 _Marinette: Really?_

 _Marinette: I'm hurt, Alya. Why'd you not tell me you were out with the girls?_

 _Rena Rouge: That, would be my secret with the girls._ _  
_  
Marinette sighed.

 _Marinette: I can literally feel your shipper aura._

"Hey Marinette," Adrien gently tapped her shoulder. She looked up from her phone and noticed the three looking at her. Kagami must've finished paying already.

"Umm, sorry." Her cheeks reddened as she hid her phone in her bag. "My friend was texting me about something."

"It's fine," Kagami said, speaking for the other two. She looked at her wrist watch and stood up. "I have to go. My mother's waiting for me outside."

Adrien, ever the gentleman he was, told her, "I'll accompany you there, Kagami." He said and followed her as she walked past the doors of the restaurant.

"Let's go, Marinette?" Luka asked as he stood up from his seat.

"Yeah."

Her phone beeped once more.

* * *

Marinette's deal was that she still couldn't understand even a single thing in their Literature class. They were already in the second act and still, she could not understand a single thing.

She really wasn't one of those people who can understand poetry really well but she's trying, okay?

Which was why, when Ms. Bustier noticed, decided that they should all together read Act Two of "The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare in class.

Marinette was delighted to know she wasn't the only one to sigh in relief when Ms. Bustier announced that.

However, the thing she didn't expect though, was that Ms. Bustier picked her to read Juliet's lines.

She looked around, hoping she heard wrong, but when Alya kicked her foot under, welp, no choice.

"Nathaniel, would you please read Romeo's lines?"

"O-okay." The boy answered as he stopped from sketching and picked up his copy.

"Ivan, please read Benvolio's lines." A nod from said student was witnessed.

"Nino, please do Mercutio's." An "okay" was heard.

"Okay class, I want you all to pay attention as they read," their teacher said. "Later, we will be analyzing Act Two together."

A series of nods followed, and Ms. Bustier read the prologue.

Soon after, Nathaniel read aloud Romeo's lines.

"C-can I g-go forward when my heart is here? T-turn back, dull earth, and find thy center o-out."

Ms. Bustier respectfully told Ivan to stop for a moment. With a smile, she kindly advised Nathaniel to read from the heart and to not be nervous since it was just his classmates and his teacher who were listening to him.

Marinette could've sworn she heard Nathaniel mumble afterwards about "controlling himself more to not stutter when crush is there" or something when Ivan started reading.

Wow, Nathaniel likes someone in this class? Huh, Marinette felt like a proud friend for some reason.

"He ran this way and leapt this orchard wall. Call, good Mercutio."

"Nay, I'll conjure too. Romeo! Humors! Madman! Passion! Lover! Appear thou in the likeness of a sigh…" Nino continued on.

Wow, for the second time that day, Marinette was in awe. If having someone who'll complete you could make you as good as that in reading Shakespeare's pieces, then love must really be magical.

As Ivan read his lines, there was a knock on the door which made everyone pause from their reading.

Adrien's face peeked in and as he noticed everyone was staring at him, _including the teacher,_ his face reddened and he opened the door wider, allowing himself to enter the room.

"Sorry for being late Ms. Bustier," he sheepishly told the teacher, clenching the strap of his bag tightly with his hand. "I had a photo shoot."

Ms. Bustier, ever the kind-hearted teacher she was, smiled. "I understand Adrien. Please head to your seat immediately and pick up your copy of our literature piece. We're already in the second act."

With a quick nod, Adrien immediately rushed to his seat and sat down.

"Ivan, please continue."

* * *

"I knew you were good in reading but I never knew you were _that_ good."

 _"What?"_

"I mean, I can't believe you were that good, Nino."

"And what next, dude? You're going to tell me that I'm better than you? No thanks."

"That's the truth though."

"Uhuh, the last time you told me that I was better than you in playing Ultimate Mecha Strike III, you pulverized me."

"Really?" Alya gasped dramatically. "Adrien, how could you?"

Marinette, however, was having none of this. "We also exist, you know." She said as she ate a macaroon.

"Sorry." The two boys said both at the same time.

"Thanks for letting us eat at your parents' bakery, Marinette." Alya said after drinking her hot chocolate.

"R.I.P. Adrien's diet." Nino commented as he watched the boy wolf down a whole chocolate croissant.

"I must replenish as fast as I can." Adrien said after swallowing the whole thing. "I don't know when's the next time I'll be able to fill my stomach with these delicious stuff."

"Let me talk to your dad, dude."

" _No."_

"Adrien."

" _No."_

 _"Dude."_

 _"No."_

 _"Marinette."_

 _"Yes."_

The two boys looked at the two girls.

"You two look and even sound like an old married couple." Alya voiced out, finding the situation hilarious. "I'm surprised I'm not even jealous."

Adrien just sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Just… please don't visit my father, Nino."

"Why?" Nino joked. "You think I'm going to turn into some bubble-themed weirdo if he manages to get on my nerves?"

Adrien just stared.

"Dude, I was joking."

Adrien shrugged, "Yeah, but it sounded familiar for some reason."

" _Dude, I don't even like bubbles that much anymore."_

Marinette watched in amusement while eating her croissant. Days like this were nice. Just a normal day with her friends in her parents' bakery after school, chatting and having fun. Somehow, she wished Chat could join too, that way, she can finally introduce him to her Sunshine Kid, Adrien, and Adrien, to her Knight, Chat Noir.

Marinette wasn't blind, if someone was asking. She could really tell that Chat and Adrien looked alike. Their hair color, for example. They both have that blonde hair that Marinette really liked. However, while Chat's was messy and unruly, Adrien's was brushed-back and neat. Another was that aura they have _(heh, Marinette really can really get a job with this aura-reading thing going on with her)_. Adrien had this polite boy-gentleman-cinnamon roll-whatever adjectives can relate with smol bean aura, while Chat had this… _(fine, she's saying it)_ hot-bad boyish-flirty-pun master-loyal-"I will protect you, stay behind me" aura.

 _(Well that was a way to describe their aura.)_

So, even with these differences, Marinette can conclude that she wouldn't be surprised if these two ended up being related to each other. Cousins, secret twins, or whatever.

 _'What was the point of doing this analysis?'_ Marinette thought to herself as she sipped her drink.

"Is he out of your view Nino?" Alya asked her boyfriend.

Nino nodded. "Yep."

"Alright," Alya said in a soft voice. "Meeting time."

Marinette also forgot to mention that the _other_ reason they were here was because of this.

"So, as you might've known, it's Adrien's birthday next week." Nino began. "What surprise ideas have you come up with?"

"We could do a bubble party." Marinette suggested with an innocent smile.

"Marinette," Nino whined, knowing that he was Marinette's target of teasing. "Stop."

"But seriously guys, any suggestions?"

"I think a simple one would be great." Marinette suggested seriously this time. "I think Adrien would be the type of person who likes to have simple parties. Mr. Agreste probably gave him a lot of extravagant ones anyway."

"I agree with Marinette one-hundred percent." Nino added. "Besides, we can't really pull off an expensive one."

"Okay, now that part's dealt with," Alya said. "What about the place?"

"Hmm." The three thought.

"What about AAAASMR, Marinette, do you watch ASMR to help you sleep?" Nino told them as Adrien neared the table.

"I-I w-watch that stuff but I _still_ don't get sleepy enough." Marinette said in a voice loud enough for Adrien to hear.

"You have trouble sleeping, Marinette?" Adrien asked before returning to his seat.

"N-Not that much." She said.

"Oh, okay." Adrien said and awkwardness followed afterwards.

And then Adrien's phone rang.

"Um, excuse me, I need to take this." He said after looking at the Caller ID.

 _"Yeah, Plagg?"_

"Okay so back to our last conversation." Alya reminded. "You were saying, Nino?"

"I was thinking that THAT'S GREAT MARINETTE." Nino said loudly. "That way you can say who's better in playing that game, Adrien or you?"

Marinette kicked Nino's leg under the table and glared at him as if to say, "Why always me Nino?"

"Really Marinette?" Adrien said, sounding like a ten-year old kid. "You'll invite me to a match?"

Oh goodness, that pure cinnamon roll looked more innocent if possible. "Yeah," Marinette said with a happy grin. "if you have free time, that is."

"Great!" Adrien said with a hint of excitement. "Then I'll tell Plagg to insert our date sometime during the weekend."

Alya choked on her hot chocolate. _"Date?"_ She repeated, asking for clarification from the one and only Adrien Agreste.

Adrien nodded slowly. "Yeah," he said carefully. "According to the online dictionary, it means a social appointment or engagement."

"Why am I not even surprised?" Nino gently patted Adrien's back. "It's okay, dude."

Adrien just looked confused.

* * *

The next day went the same as any other day. Chemistry, English, etc. Marinette was just actually thankful to have gotten the day over with. She can finally help her parents over at the bakery. Yay!

You see, the Mayor of Paris specifically ordered a large batch of cookies and macaroons for an upcoming event involving the presence of Prince Ali, the crown prince of the Kingdom of Achu.

Marinette didn't really know what kind of event it was (since she doesn't really watch the news often), but she'd overheard Rose praising the prince for his kindness.

"Maman, Papa," Marinette opened the door of their bakery. "I'm home!"

"Welcome home, sweetie," her mother responded from the kitchen. "Be sure to finish your homework first before helping us out."

"Okay." She said and headed upstairs to her room.

Thank goodness she finished half of her homework during free time.

A few minutes later, she headed downstairs.

Her father was in the middle of mixing the batter as he waited for the oven to finish its job. Her mom, meanwhile, was busy counting and checking the sweets.

"Wear an apron and wash your hands, Marinette." Her father told her.

"Sir, yes sir!." Marinette said with a salute and immediately went to find an apron.

Doing jobs and helping out in the bakery was how Marinette's childhood was like. Well, some of it, anyway.

When Marinette was little, her job was to assist her mom in the counter and wipe the bakery's windows. Mostly, her job was on the cleaning department. When she reached that point of her life wherein she can control herself and her urges to eat sweets (since she does that a lot back then) her father taught her how to bake cookies, and so on.

Marinette truly did love the bakery. It held so many memories.

"So, how was school?" Her mom asked when she finished counting.

"It was okay." Marinette answered as she wiped the mess on top of the counter. "I struggled during Chemistry but luckily, Adrien helped me with it."

"That was very nice of him." There was a twinkle in her mother's eyes. "Isn't it, Tom?"

"Yes, dear." Tom said. "But I think that boy needs to eat more. He's too skinny for his age."

Her mother shared a knowing look with her father. "It would be _per_ fect if we could get him to eat more." Then, they both laughed.

Marinette noticed that her mom put an emphasis on the first syllable of the word "perfect" but didn't comment on it, she had a feeling it was an inside joke between them.

Even at home, Marinette's a third wheel.

"So, did Chat visit?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

Her father shook his head. "We haven't seen him for a while. Your mother and I really missed that boy." He said.

"Oh." Was all Marinette managed to reply.

"Don't be sad dear," her father told her. "If you two are destined for each other, then love will find-"

Marinette's eyes widened.

"-a whey."

Marinette groaned. Here come the puns.

"You butter believe it." Her mom joined in.

She whined to them about the puns, and then about the teasing with her and Chat Noir.

* * *

 **Finally, I finished this chapter :D**

 **Also, I apologize for the grammar errors.**

 **Anyway, I'd just like to share with you all a line for the next chapter (or _will it be for the next one after that? Heh.)_**

 _"Hey everyone, it's nice to see you again. I'm finally back from the Kingdom of Achu."_

 **I don't want to give much away so..**

 **Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you guys liked it and please review!**


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